Exerts From The Way I Feel With You
by TheLovelyBallroomGeek
Summary: Moments from Dirty Dancing and The Way I Feel With You told by some of the more minor characters, but mostly Baby's perspective, since The Way I Feel With You is more Johnny's.
1. Prologue

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Prologue

* * *

That was the Summer of 1963. Before Mambo became Salsa, before the Rolling Stones hit the charts. When I was still a Dance Instructor at Kellerman's, and I didn't think I'd amount to be anything else. That was the Summer that I met Baby.

She would always be Baby to me- from the second we met it was Baby, then a name that fit her perfectly in my eyes, seeing only a shy, naive girl untouched by the world's cruelty, who couldn't dance and never would. I only ever called her Frances when I needed her to know how serious I was. I never once called her Fran or Franny, and only Miss Houseman when I was very serious or kidding around. As I fell in love with her, Baby outgrew the name Baby in the terms I thought of it in. And so, with no other name to call her by, 'Baby' came to represent the woman I loved, a brilliant, gorgeous, talented woman, not exactly a Name, not exactly a term of endearment, but so much more than either ever could be.


	2. The Housemans

**So here it is! Exerts From The Way I Feel With You. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter One

POV Billy

The Housemans

* * *

I sighed. New guests. Max just grabbed the nearest Porter around to help lug bags, and this time, it was me. The family was the Housemans. The Father, Jake, was a Doctor, and had allegedly saved Max's life.

I smiled as we neared the car. Staff had to be polite, not surly, weather I liked it or not. Besides, Johnny had done me a big favor in getting me hired here. Without this job, it'd be back to the Housepainters, and I was _not_ going to let that happen.

i could see the family talking to each other, having just climbed out of the car. Upon further studying of the group, Doctor Houseman and his wife were made out, along with two girls. Before I could get much of a closer look, Max called out, "Doc!"

The Father, Jake, was tall and thin with salt and pepper hair. He responded to his greeting with an enthusiastic, "Max!" The aforementioned Max and I stopped in front of the family. Marje, Mr. Houseman's wife, had curly brown hair, and had retained her figure over the years. One Daughter looked like her, with a mass of curly brown hair, and slight curves. She was beautiful. Her Sister was drop dead gorgeous.

I didn't even know her name. She was tall, and she had an amazing figure. Her hair was black and straight, clearly from her Father, and she had green eyes, complemented nicely by her lilac shirt. She was beautiful. It was like all the cliches were coming true the first moment I saw her.

"Well, Doc, after all these years, I finally got you up on my mountain," Max commented excitedly as he shook Doctor Houseman's hand. Doctor Houseman laughed.

"So, how's the blood pressure, Max?" He inquired. Max looked to the girls, face serious.

"I want you girls to know, if it was not for this man," He said, pointing to Jake, "I'd be standing here, dead. Billy, get the bags," Max snapped, handing me the car keys, as if remembering for the first time since they got out of the car that I was here, too.

"Right away, Doc, right away," I hurried over to the trunk, eager to get this job done. Max had a rule about not making guests wait, and I didn't intend to break it. One of the girls, the one with the curly hair, followed me.

Mr. Kellerman rambled on as I opened the trunk, "I kept the best cabin for you and your beautiful girls," The girl and I both grabbed a bag, and set them on the pavement. I reached for another bag, and gave her a friendly smile.

"Hey," I laugh, "Thanks a lot. You want a job here?" The girl smiled back at me. She extended a hand, which I took.

"My name is Baby. Baby Houseman," I feel my eyebrows raising. Baby? Who named their kid Baby? I guess my thoughts were kind of obvious, because in a second she explained it, "That's not my real name. It's just a nickname,"

"It's nice to meet you, Baby," I tell her. "My name's Billy Kostecki."

Max's voice suddenly came back, after having been forgotten while greeting Baby. "There's a Merengue Class in the gazebo in the next few minutes," Max said, "The _greatest_ teacher. Used to be a Rockette," I smiled at the mention of Penny. She really was the best. Only Johnny loved to dance more than her.

This time I heard Baby's Mother, "It's his first real vacation in six years, Max. Take it easy,"

Max told her, "Three weeks here, it'll feel like a _year_ ,"

I look back to Baby, who was unloading yet another case of luggage. I was itching to find out her Sister's name. Hoping my interest isn't too obvious, I inquired, "So you're Baby, and your Sister is...?"

"Lisa," Baby answered nonchalantly.

I smiled, "Lisa. Right. I'll have to remember that,"

Lisa Houseman.


	3. The Evening

**I do not own** ** _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Two

POV Penny

The Evening

* * *

"One, two, three, four, stomp those Grapes, and stomp some more!" I shout to the room, teaching the Merengue basic, "One, two, three, four, listen to the music! One, two, three, four, dry your caboose, and shake it loose! One, two, three, four, stomp those Grapes!"

Cheerfully, I prance around the room in excitement, watching my pupils. One of them was a teenage girl with curly hair, maybe two years younger than me at most. The Houseman girl, I remember, her Father had introduced his family at the beginning of the lesson. She looked completely lost, eyes searching for some hint of what to do inside her cloud of confusion.

Pulling my thoughts back to the rest of the room, I call out another direction, "Now, come on, men, follow me into a Round Robin! Ladies, the inner circle!" I shout, joining the head of the line of men.

I have to keep from laughing when I see how robotic their motions are, clumsy, slow, and off beat. They didn't understand that you didn't just dance with your feet, but with your whole body. I break away from the men to advise the woman, and in an encouraging tone, say, "Aww, come on, ladies! God wouldn't have given you maracas if he didn't want you to shake 'em!" Laughing, I shook my torso to the music.

"Okay now, ladies!" I exclaimed, gripping the hemline of my res dress. "When I say stop, you're gonna find the man of your dreams," I wait a few seconds, and... "Stop!" I shout, cutting through the line of women to take Doctor Houseman's hand, and pulled him into the frame. When I see that Baby almost ended up with her Father, and because of me ended up dancing with Mrs. Schumacher, I feel a little apologetic, but I don't let it phase me while I smiled up at Doctor Houseman, saying, "Now remember, he's the boss on the dance floor, if _nowhere_ else,"

* * *

That evening, I found Johnny at the doors to the ballroom, in his traditional black tux. The only variety with that tux came in the tie, be it a bowtie, like tonight, or traditional. Remembering the disappointment of our last performance, I complain, "I hope we at least get to finish this time. And I wish he'd let us play some fun music. Not this stuffy old orchestral music,"

"Didn't the Rockettes dance to classical music?"

"We got to have fun too," I mutter, to which Johnny laughed as he lead me to the center of the ballroom.

"Just be glad they don't make us Polka," He said under his breath, making me laugh, having heard this line before, about how Polka shouldn't have even qualified as music, not even to begin with dancing to it. "God, that stuff makes my ears bleed," He complained, eliciting another laugh from me. Johnny waved a hand in the air, not very high, but far enough up that Tito could see it.

I twirled the second the music came on my motions fluid as I change effortlessly into a forwards dip and another turn. In less than a second, Johnny threw my hands into the air and dipped me back. Each step was precise, natural as a reflex.

Next came the Swivel Step, followed by two Underarm Turns, one for each of us. Johnny and I loop around the area, and I turn again. Soon after that were the matched arm styling, one of my favorite parts, and then we charge down opposite ends of the cleared floor, meeting in the center. We turn in synchrony, coming back into the frame.

At his cue, there is another Underarm Turn, and a kick that rivaled my fellow Rockettes while he dipped me back. While holding the frame, we do the splits, rising up on our toes and into a Spot Turn, then several more turns leading into our Copa. I turn again and again, then Johnny turns twice. Together we side step across the floor, his hand on my hip. I kick high into the air, Johnny copying my motions less than a beat behind me, even as I raise up on my toes, his motions followed identically behind mine.

Then came the Sombrero, my hand on his shoulder, three steps back, two foreword, two back, and then into the basic. In constant motion, I twirl with Johnny.

Then it all slowed to a crawl, my hands coming to rest on his shoulders, foot swirling in the air sensually. All of a sudden my leg is on top of his shoulder, arm holding me steady when every muscle in my torso relaxed, falling back into a dip. Johnny dragged me across the floor, motions swift.

When I sit up, all the blood rushed from my head, and I felt dizzy, but I must keep going. I have to. Johnny dropped my leg and spun me out, doing nothing to help my dizziness. Smiling coyly, I ran for him, skipping into his arms, to be tossed into the air with a feeling of rapture, even while he caught me, and bent so my torso was parallel to the floor. The crowd gasped and cheered, but I cared nothing for them, not when the first thing I see after the lift is Max Kellerman telling us to quit showing off.

So I stop. I walk away from Johnny and take a partner from the crowd. Because what else was there for me to do?

* * *

"This is stupid," Johnny complained under his breath while we watched the Houseman girl get sawed in half by the Magician. Last year, I'd had to do it. Trust me, I was none too excited to be stuck watching these cliche, cheap parlor tricks.

"Just shut up and watch," I muttered fiercely, "Maybe then we can get out of here faster," The crowd laughed like this was funny, and it always was until you were the one in the box. All I could do right now was pity the girl for our shared misfortune.

"This'll only hurt for a minute," The Magician told her, beaming at his latest captive, "You've got Blue Cross, right?" In a flash, he and Stan pulled the two boxes apart. "Is that good for you?" He asked the girl covertly. The audience broke into applause, the box was latched together again, and the humiliated victim released.

Before she could flee from the stage, Stan caught her with the white chicken, and passed it to her, "And for being such a good sport, here you go," Stan laughed sardonically as the girl recoiled and hurried offstage, unlikely to agree to such a thing again.

* * *

Back in my cabin, end of the day. Like any other. I was dead on my feet, and said appendages ached with every step, begging to just collapse on my bed and not even bother to change. The only odd thing today had been Johnny dancing with the Houseman girl, something oddly out of character for him. Whenever Johnny was given a choice, he avoided guests like the plague.

And then I saw the white stick on my nightstand.

I'd left it there this evening, before going to the party. I hadn't had the time to look before meeting Johnny. My whole life's balance hung on what this little white stick said, weather or not I was pregnant. I'd completely forgotten about it with the events of tonight.

I swallowed, my fear enveloping me. Taking the stick in my hand, I turn it over, terrified of the result.

Positive.


	4. Johnny's Type

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing_.**

Chapter Three

POV Billy

Johnny's Type

* * *

"Hi!" A girl's voice exclaimed as I attempted to make my way across the bridge with three ridiculously heavy watermelons. Trying was the key word there. God, why did the staff party even need Watermelons? _Let's get food,_ they'd said. _Just bring some Watermelon,_ they'd said. And since it was my turn, I'd gotten saddled with the duty of bringing the Watermelons.

I look over my shoulder so quick you'd think I'd just received an electric shock. Oh, Crap. It was that guest girl. Baby, the nice one, with the pretty Sister, Lisa. "How'd you get here?" I ask in slight fear mixed with amazement. If Max caught me with Baby, I was screwed. _Guests weren't allowed over here,_ a stern voice said in my head, one that sounded suspiciously like Johnny's.

"I was taking a walk," Baby answered nonchalantly.

"Go back," I answered immediately.

"Let me help you," The girl insisted, grabbing one of the three Watermelons before I could stop her. She really was nice, wasn't she? It really seemed like Baby only wanted to help, but if she stayed, and someone found out, I could get in serious trouble.

"No," I spat. She needed to get out of here now, not stay longer!

"What's up there?" She wondered, looking up at the room where the party was going on, eyes innocent and filled with curiosity, like that of a child's. Or, a baby. Dryly, I wonder if that was where her nickname came from.

"No guests allowed," I answered sharply. "House rules. Look, why don't you go back to the Play House?" That was what nice girls did. They behaved, adhered to rules, didn't hang around the dirty dancing house with the poor kids.

"I saw you dancing with the little bossman," I recall. Most of the girls, and the bossman himself, thought that Neil was a big prize. The staff really didn't get the appeal. Hoping to further push her into leaving, I swayed while attempting to hum the Foxtrot they'd been dancing to.

This appeared to be the last straw for Baby, because when I suggested that she went back to Neil, she immediately put the Watermelon back on the stack and turned away from me, as if saying, _Fine. If you don't want my company, I'll take it elsewhere._

Crap. She really had just wanted to help, hadn't she? My arms protested greatly at the added weight. The Watermelons were heavy, and I really shouldn't be carrying three, my brain said. Besides, Baby was willing, and I didn't believe she'd rat me out to Max. "Can you keep a secret?" I choke out. Baby turned around and took back her Melon, smirking lightly, as though she'd suspected what would happen. "Your Parents would _kill_ you," I informed her, adjusting my stance to the lighter load. "Max would kill me," I mutter, especially with this guest, the youngest Daughter of his personal guest.

At the doors of the storage facility, I can already hear the music going, specifically _Do You Love Me?_ Gleefully, I press my back into the doors, and then struggle to maintain my hold on the heavy fruit. The first sight I was greeted with was the familiar sight of staff members gyrating on the dance floor.

"Where'd they learn to do that?" Baby wondered, gaping at the dancers. I bet she'd never seen this much contact between people before. Max's parties were always pretty bland, and If I had to guess, she didn't see a lot of dancing at home.

I shook my head after glancing at Baby, who still hadn't collected herself. "Where?" I repeat. Never really thought about that. It just sort of happened. "I don't know. Kids are doing it in their basements back home. Wanna try it?" I smirk, mimicking their motions as I held the two heavy Watermelons.

Baby shook her head immediately. I doubted it was because she thought she was above doing such things. Personally, I think she was scared. Baby probably didn't have a lot of experience dancing, especially not this type. "Come on, Baby," I laugh, grinning joyfully. I really hoped that one day she'd come out of her shell enough to try this type of stuff. But now, she didn't know what she was missing out on.

I weave my way through the crowd, Baby behind me. Those glares were for both of us, but it wasn't as if Baby would know that. I was getting looks of, _Oh, great, who brought the snobby guest Daughter here? Thanks, Billy, now all our jobs are on the line._ Thankfully, no one actually confronted me. I didn't feel like getting into this now, especially since I was really going to get it from Johnny later.

After setting the Watermelons down on the floor, I take my seat on a lone barstool at the back of the room, with Baby standing beside me. Baby, looking a little warm from the heat of the room, slipped off her big, pale blue cardigan and set it down on the cleanest patch of floor she could find. "Can you imagine dancing like this on the main floor? Home of the family Foxtrot?" I snorted. I could picture the scandal on Max's face. He'd never allow it, much to Johnny's chagrin. "Max would close the place down first,"

A chorus of excited cheers rose from the crowd, particularly the ones nearest the door, signifying my Cousin's entrance. A lot of the staff kids, barring the Waiters, mind you, loved Johnny. The feeling wasn't necessarily mutual, as Johnny really only associated with Penny and I. Yet they loved him anyway. He was Johnny, good looking, charming, charismatic. He could do no wrong to the staff.

Somebody passed Johnny a bottle, and I saw him take a drink, quickly handing it back to the owner, and dropping his jacket at the entrance way. With no amount of grace wasted, he and Penny dance out to the center of the floor, and began putting on their own show.

Baby was positively captivated by it all. Each motion, shake, twirl, or otherwise drew her attention, like a kid in a candy shop. I did, however, notice her eyes lingering particularly long on Johnny, curiosity filling them. He intrigued her. She'd probably never seen someone like him before, I thought, watching my Cousin fall back into the arms of the adoring crowd, rocking his hips with a smirk. "That's my Cousin," I informed her, pointing in his direction, "Johnny Castle. He got me the job here."

"They look great together," Was her only response. Baby couldn't seem to tear her eyes as away from Johnny. I guess she had a crush on him. Most of the girls here had, at some point or another.

"Yeah," I agreed, "You'd think they were a couple, wouldn't you?" Johnny might never go out with her, but you couldn't be sure. Sure she was a guest, but he could be spontaneous, and he hadn't had a real girl in a long time. Baby might be exactly what he needed, whether or not he knew it. What was the harm in giving the girl a bit of hope?

"Oh, aren't they?" Baby questioned, her curiosity peaking. It wasn't very surprising that she'd think that; it looked like they slept together based on how they danced, and she certainly wouldn't be the first to think that. But all you had to do to get that their relationship was purely platonic was spend five minutes with them. Those two were more like Siblings than anything else.

"Nah," I shook my head. "Not since we were kids,"

After a few more minutes of those two showing off, the song changed to one called _Love Man_. Johnny bounced from partner to partner for a few seconds, and then jumped, literally, right into my conversation with Baby.

"Yo, Cuz," He said stiffly. Johnny nodded at Baby, who appeared to have been frozen to the floor. "What's she doing here?" I almost thought Baby was going to pass out then and there. Johnny was ridiculously good looking. It wasn't even fair to the rest of us, and the girls. Especially Baby, having to take all that in at once.

But I didn't like Baby in that way. My sights were set on Lisa. If there was anyone here who needed Baby, it was Johnny. For all I know, Baby could be Johnny's type.

Did Johnny even have a type?

"She came with me. She's with me," I grin. Truly, it was a miracle she'd come here. Guests who would were few and far between.

"I carried a Watermelon," Was all that Baby seemed to be able to say in explanation. I laugh a bit at her expression. She was greatly preoccupied with staring at Johnny, both intrigued and attracted at the same time, if I had to guess. She was so preoccupied, that Baby appeared to be a little confused as to how she got here in the first place.

Johnny looked at me, this icy look he had that said, _Whatever happens, you brought it on yourself._ We all knew the dangers of socializing with guests, but Johnny always took it the most seriously, since Max and Neil had seemed to have it out for him since the day he got here. Neil was just looking for a reason to have Johnny fired. Without another word, Johnny turned his back on us and danced away, as if our conversation had never occurred.

I glance at Baby, and shrug. Johnny could just be like that sometimes, I knew. But he could also be really great, one you got to know him. "I _carried_ a _Watermelon?"_ Baby muttered, furious at herself for saying something like that. I personally thought it was a little cute, seeing how flustered Johnny made her.

Baby and I watched as Johnny and Penny stepped down the columns of dancers, not a bit of their truly enviable talent being wasted. Sometimes, I really wished I could move like Johnny. I wasn't a bad dancer, but I was nowhere near the caliber he was at. Women practically fell into his lap, and he didn't even want them most of the time.

It was then that I saw Johnny's eyes land on Baby, who was bouncing a bit to the beat. A gleam of mischief filled his eyes, and he shuffled over to her, smiling wickedly. Baby looked terrified. Which was when I knew what he was going to do- take her out to the floor, and show her how to dance dirty.

Baby looked at me, pleading for help. I could tell she liked Johnny, but right now all she wanted to do was save herself from embarrassment. Still wearing his evil grin, Johnny took both of Baby's hands in his, and lead her to the center of the floor.

My God, was it possible she _was_ Johnny's type?

I'd never really known him to have a type. In this place, the women came to him, he didn't really choose to be with them. In fact, it was pretty much like that when he was in high school, too. Johnny never expressed interest in dating the staff girls, and off the clock, I'd never seen him go up to a guest, and drag them out to the floor for a dance. Certainly not this type of dancing. Baby was the first, I thought as she looked back at me, still afraid to dance. I shrugged.

He thought she was special, I realized. Johnny had to, for him to ask her to dance when he didn't have to. Maybe he was curious, maybe he thought it would be fun to dance with one of the Daughters like this, corrupting them in his own way. But something about Baby Houseman had intrigued Johnny.

Baby stood there awkwardly as Johnny bent his knees, and then pointed at hers, asking her to do the same. But she didn't, and just stood there in confusion, so eventually, my Cousin just pressured her shoulders enough that it would make her bend her knees. And then he rocked his hips. Baby followed his lead, somewhat awkwardly albeit, but followed nonetheless.

Baby looked around her at the other dancers in awe, but Johnny pulled her attention back to him, gesturing to his eyes. While she continued to move, her dancing got better, smoother, more like what the people around her were doing. Johnny pulled her close for a few moments, but then stepped back, and showed her a different motion, which began just as awkwardly as the last one. Eventually, though, she started getting that one two, but when Johnny started drawing closer to her again, she faltered, and he backed off again.

Johnny put both hands gently on her hips, far more determined to get this right than with any other guest I'd seen him dance with. Slowly, he came closer to Baby. And closer, and closer, until their bodies were pressed against one another's on the dance floor. With a grin, Johnny pulled Baby's arms around his neck. She smiled up at him, hopelessly infatuated. Johnny mouthed along to the lyrics of the song, happier than I'd seen him in a long time.

I'll be damned. Baby was Johnny's type.

Johnny dipped her gracefully, Baby not faltering in his arms for a moment, while still mouthing along to the words. Baby grinned, and her arms slipped back around my Cousin's neck, clinging to him. His arms wrapped around her waist as the final few noted of the song rang out. A cheer erupted from the crowd as the song finished, and Johnny twirled Baby around, walking off into the crowd. By the time she stopped spinning, he was gone, and she was all alone.

* * *

"How's your girlfriend?" I teased Johnny on our way out of the party.

"She's not my girlfriend, Billy," Johnny answered decisively. "And as I recall, you were the one who brought her here- risking _your_ job, might I add." I heard the part he didn't say, that he was the one who got me that job, and that I shouldn't be so careless with someone like Max watching over our heads.

"If you thought she was such a big risk," I retort, "You would never have danced with her tonight. Would you?" Johnny was silent for a long time, not yet willing to admit that I'm right. He probably wasn't even aware of it yet, but a girl like Baby was exactly what Johnny needed in his life. Hell, right now, Johnny would probably swear that a girl was the last thing he needed.

"It doesn't matter," Johnny dismissed me. "Just don't do it again. You know what happens if Max finds out we had one of the Daughters playing around at the staff party."

"You like her?" I wonder, not quite sure if I intended that as a question or as a statement. Johnny looked back at me with a cool, controlled look that I thought looked a little sad. And then he said exactly five words.

"Billy, I can't like her,"

* * *

 **Please review! Anybody? Questions, comments, friendly advice...? No?**


	5. Blue Eyes

**I do not own** ** _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Four

POV Baby

Blue Eyes

* * *

Billy's Cousin, Johnny, lined up with the other dancers. With Penny, he danced down the column, stepping from heel to toe, and incorporating side steps, kicks, and even some dirty dancing. As he neared the end of the line, he slowed. Johnny walked over with a devil-may-care smirk on his face, looking right at me, and beckoning.

Blue eyes.

My heart lept into my throat as Johnny beckoned to me. He wanted to dance. With _me_. I feel my heart racing in fear. I had no idea how to dance, much less like _this_. What if he didn't like me? What if he laughed when he found out I didn't know how to dance?

Helplessly, I look to Billy. Johnny took my hands without even asking, and lead me out to the floor. Fearfully, I looked at Billy again, who shrugged at me as though this was commonplace. Johnny stopped in the middle of the floor. He gestured to his knees, "Bend your knees." When that piece of information went in one ear and out the other, he repeated, "Bend your knees." Johnny pressed his strong hands into my shoulders, forcing me to bend them, "Down." His deep voice went.

Johnny rolled his hips in a circular motion. I copy it as best I can, but still feel ridiculous, gyrating in front of all these people with a complete stranger. Especially when the stranger is literally _the_ most handsome man I have ever seen.

I look around the dance hall. I could feel eyes on me, from every direction. A blush crept up my neck and into my cheeks. My eyes want to look everywhere at once. There's so much to take in. A motion from Johnny drew my attention, his hand pointing to his eyes, "Here. Watch. Watch my eyes," He suggests.

I look back to him. Blue eyes. Not deep blue, not potent, or a spectacularly fascinating shade. No, Johnny's eyes are none of these things. Johnny has eyes that are such a pale blue that it almost looked gray. His eyes were like raindrops, or a stormy sea. His eyes are not what women call dreamy. But they are sharp, and bright. I can see the intelligence in his eyes, the wit. He has eyes that could make grown men cower, and make women fall to their knees, all with one look. Commanding eyes.

But I think they're beautiful. Beautiful in their own way. Beautiful like the rest of him. Those eyes, such a watery blue. It would be nice, I think, to drown in the waters of Johnny Castle's eyes.

"Good," Johnny said, drawing me from my daze. He drew me near to him, hand on my waist. I almost hyperventilated, and just as I was getting used to his touch, he stepped back. "That's better. Now roll this way," He suggests, demonstrating a similar motion, dropping his shoulders further. "Now, watch," He told me, as we continued the motion. Johnny set his hand back on my waist, and came nearer to me, getting closer each time his hips completed a circle. Johnny's eyebrows pulled together in a mischievous grin that said he was having fun.

His touch distracted me again, only this time it caused me to miss a beat. Johnny removed his hand and stepped back, and for a moment, I feared the worst, that he knew why I'd dropped the beat. "Hold on," He told me, assuring that he was completely oblivious. This time, Johnny came in slower. I felt a smile creep onto my face as he set his other hand on my hip.

Johnny grinned down at me, showing perfectly white teeth, and nodded. He took my arms and put them around his neck as we swayed to the music. As I gazed at Johnny, I noticed him mouthing along to the lyrics. _Go on, I got you, gonna knock you all night 'cause Baby, I'm a love man._

Blue eyes.

A wonderful beam of rapture slipped onto my face. I wanted to laugh, scream, and sing all at once. I was _dancing!_ With a _man_ , a real one, not the clumsy, boring boys at my high school, who couldn't dance if their life depended on it. A rush of butterflies fluttered in my stomach every time I felt a sliver of his skin brush against mine.

I feel a brief second of panic when Johnny dipped me, but when he did it again, it was gone, and he set his hands back at my waist. I couldn't help but grin when I saw him mouthing the words again, _I'm just a love man, good old man. I'm just a love man, fancy man._ During the last few lines of the song, I put my arms back around his neck. Johnny twirled me around, and I felt his strong hands disappear from my side. By the time I could see straight again, he was gone, having melted into the crowd.

* * *

I lay in bed, unable to get to sleep. Thoughts of Johnny Castle filled my head. It was like I had never left the party. The exhilarating feeling of dancing with him had remained.

I was still dizzy from that last spin, could still feel his hands on me, hear his voice, remember the devious expression he wore as we danced, blue eyes glittering down at me. I could smell Johnny's cologne mingled with his sweat. I smelled like him now, both having rubbed off on me as we danced. I could hear the shuffle of feet on the wood floor, the chatter of other dancers. I could see Johnny's beautiful blue eyes as the sounds of Love Man filled my head, making my heart race.

I might never see Johnny again. I would never talk to him, or get to know him.

But I would never forget him.


	6. Favors

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Five

POV Penny

Favors

* * *

"Ladies, join our hair raising wig show!" Stan called into the PA system, "Try Sandra Dee, Jackie Kennedy, or Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra wig," Stan liked to think he was funny. I didn't, and neither did most of the other people here. He was mildly amusing on a good day.

The Comedian turned to a woman who was putting on a Cleopatra wig, and with a grin, remarked, "My God, it's Cleopatra. I feel like such an Asp!" The woman paid him no mind as she continued to adjust the wig. Thankfully, he was gone a few moments later, continuing with the announcements, "Attention, teens by the pool, we have Calisthenics, then, on the West porch, we have a Symposium by Rabbi Morris Sherman on The Psychology Of Insult Comedian!"

"You look ten years younger," I tell Mrs. Schumacher, who gave me a sweet grin, one of the smiles that could only come from your Grandmother. It was a blatant lie, and we both knew it. But she was a sweet old lady, and was thankful I was trying. Most of these women would believe any lie you told as long as they wanted it to be true or were afraid it was.

I walk down to the end of the table to organize the wigs again. As I fiddle with the hairpieces, I couldn't help but notice that bastard Robbie Gould sneaking up behind the elder Houseman girl, Lisa, who was trying on a Jackie Kennedy wig, "So I say, ask not what your Waiter can do for you, but what you can do for your Waiter," He grinned. "You know, if tips keep up, I'll have enough for my Alpha Romeo,"

I glare at him. I had loved Robbie, had thought the feeling was mutual. Then he dumped me. Now I was pregnant with his bastard baby. And he was shamelessly flirting with another girl in front of me. Had I really meant that little to him? The thought made my blood burn. I'd realized his real nature far too late to fix what had happened, that was for damn sure. Lisa turned to face Robbie, "That's my favorite car," She flirted back.

"Ladies, you look very lovely," A deep voice behind me said. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Johnny Castle, shame on you!" I exclaim, "You scared me to death!" Out of the corner of my eye, I see the younger Houseman girl, Baby, I thought her name was, move. She slipped off her Cleopatra wig, exposing her curls, her most identifying trait, and smiled up at Johnny. It was a smile that was secret, and hopelessly smitten. It said that she didn't even know she was doing it. That she had a massive crush. I recall her dancing with Johnny last night. I look back to my friend, who was grinning shamelessly at having scared me. I glance between the pair. My, my. A little infatuation going, have we?

I see his blue eyes brushing the landscape with a piercing, raptor gaze. They hover very briefly on Baby, no doubt recognizing her from the party last night, then moving to where Robbie sat in the background, still flirting with Lisa. He immediately knew who I'd been watching, and brought his gaze back to me, "You shouldn't pay any attention to him. He's scum and we all know it. Smile more. It's good for you," Johnny insisted, wearing a grin at the last part.

I gave a week smile at his attempt to cheer me up. "What do you need?"

"Can you take my 3:00 today? It's the Kramers. I need to go and run some errands in town," He explained, showing me the sign up on the paper in the binder he'd brought over.

"Sure," I sigh, "But you owe me one,"

"Of course I do," Johnny answered nonchalantly, "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"I'm fine Johnny," I insist, when in reality I was anything but.

My friend sighed, and I could tell he really didn't buy my answer. "Okay. But if anything changes, talk to me, okay?" I nod. "Good," Johnny smiled, and gave me a peck on the cheek as he closed his binder. "Thanks," He said before walking away.

What pulls me from my daze is the Houseman girl standing next to me, the one infatuated with Johnny, a light smile on her face. "So you were really a Rockette?" She asked in a tone that said she couldn't believe she was talking to one of us. I nod, but don't look at her, busying myself with the wigs. "I think you're a wonderful Dancer," Baby sighed.

"Yeah, well my Mother kicked me out when I was 16," I tell her bitterly. "I've been dancing ever since. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do anyway," I almost spit, thinking about how soon, it would all be over. Soon, I wouldn't be able to dance any because of this kid. A kid I didn't want, didn't ask for, that would ruin my career.

"I envy you," Baby said softly. I snort. Envy. Me. What a ridiculous notion! Bitterly, I snap the suitcase shut, and stalk off, leaving the girl behind, ready to take the case back to the storage room.

I was the last person a girl like that should be envying.

* * *

Helplessly, I sunk down to the ground, the rough tree bark pressing into my spine. I feel hot tears slide down my cheeks as a sob escaped me.

Damn Robbie. Damn everyone.

For once in his life, couldn't he just care about _somebody?!_ I wasn't asking for it to be me, I wasn't asking him to raise the baby. I was asking for him to take responsibility to get rid of this thing we'd made, something neither of us wanted. I didn't need him to sit by me in the procedure. I just wanted him to help with the money.

"Penny?" A voice behind the tree asked in shock. Johnny knelt on the ground beside me, and took me into his arms. "What happened?" He asked.

How could I tell him this? That I had been stupid enough to get pregnant? What would Johnny say? I sob again, not ready to tell him, burying my face in his chest. Johnny's arms tightened around me, as he soothingly rubbed my back. "It's okay," He told me, "You can tell me," Johnny insisted, but I shook my head. I couldn't tell him this, "Penny, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong,"

Here it goes. I was just going to have to say it. Like ripping off a bandaid.

"Johnny, I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

"You're _what?"_ He gasped. At his words, I wail again as the tears start up for the second time. Johnny immediately sensed his error and hugged me tighter in an attempt to soothe me, "Shh. It's okay. It's okay," He said.

In a weak, weepy voice, I explained, "I just found out yesterday. I finally worked up the courage to tell Robbie today, and..." I broke off my words with a sob, unable to finish as I remembered his accusing the child of not being his.

"What did he do, Penny?" Johnny questioned, voice a steely quiet that only came when he was really angry. When he was about to explode.

Through my tears, I choke out, "Oh, Johnny, he doesn't even believe it's _his_."

I felt Johnny shift, his mind working in a thousand different ways to figure out what we needed to do, coming to the same conclusions I had. "Do you want it?" He asked.

"No," I answer. Johnny nodded.

"What are you going to do?" He asked me.

I only had one option, if I was going to keep working here. "I have to get rid of it, don't I?" I say, to which he nodded, understanding as well as I did, "Max will fire me if he finds out. It costs $250 for the procedure. None of us make that much on such short notice, even on a good month. And Robbie won't help. I already asked. Billy says that one of the Counselors knows a Doctor. He can make it one day next week, but the price..."

In that moment, Johnny said the five words I needed to hear the most, five words I didn't really believe, but still needed to hear.

"It's going to be okay,"


	7. Vivian Pressman

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Six

POV Johnny

Vivian Pressman

* * *

Bored out of my mind, I do a slow Cross Body Lead with Vivian. The fur wrap she'd been wearing till this point in the evening fell to the floor, forgotten. I was dancing with her for the second time this evening. _She_ was _trying_ to dance with me for the second time this evening. In my opinion that was two times too many. I could only take so much of her and the infernal black dress she wore. Despite what she thought, I didn't need to see her breasts in order to dance with her.

Standing at the railing is the meek, curly haired girl I taught to dance last night. Not ballroom dancing, but real, dirty dancing. Her Parents stood behind her, protectively, and she melted into them, like she didn't want to be seen. She'd been stuck in my head all day, and, much to my aggravation, still was. Worse still, she seemed to be watching me, though more with a mild curiosity than the predatory gaze women like Vivian gave me.

Max walked over to the small family, a smile on his face, one he would never give to any of the staff. "Aren't you dancing, Doc?" He asked.

"We're waiting for a Waltz," The girl's Mother answered.

"Ah," Max answered, before turning to watch Vivian and I.

I lead her into an Underarm Turn, and Vivian giggled, "Hi, Max. Aren't my dance lessons starting to pay off?"

"You look great, Vivian," Max called, "Terrific," He assured her. I could feel the Daughter staring coldly at us, as Vivian traced a finger from my ear down my jaw. I didn't need to read her mind to be able to know she didn't approve of Vivian's behavior. I didn't either. But I couldn't do anything about it. All Vivian wanted from me was sex. She could flirt with me and call me lover, and I couldn't refuse her offers of dance lessons, or avoid her, or shout at her to stop flirting with me, because she would report me for hostile behavior. No one would believe me over her, and I would be fired.

In the background, I hear Max explain Vivian to the girl's Father, "It's Vivian Pressman," He started quietly, "One of the Bungalow Bunnies. That's what we call the women who stay here all week long. The husbands only come up on weekends. Moe Pressman's a big card player. He'll join our game," I didn't know if Vivian could hear what they were saying about her, but I didn't care. And even if she could hear, I doubted she would care either unless her husband was around. I go into a slow Chase Step with Vivian, involving a few Half Turns. Max called over to us, "Moe coming up on Friday?"

"Friday," She answered.

The chase step ended with one final half turn, and I heard Max's voice one last time, "He's away a lot. I know. The hardship."

All of a sudden, I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me away from Vivian, which was never a bad thing. Until I realized it was Neil, scowling up at me. Ugh. Fantastic. My two favorite people in the world. All we needed was to get Max, my Father, and Robbie over here, and we'd have ourselves a little party. "Um... where's Penny?" Neil interrogated, "Everybody's been asking for her,"

I look around for her. She wasn't here? Penny knew better than to ditch these parties. She could get fired if Neil caught her. She must have a good reason for not showing up. In a split second, I put on a confidant mask to cover for my friend, nervously stuffing my hands in my pockets, "What do you mean 'Where's Penny?'? She's taking a break. She _needs_ a break," I respond icily.

"As long as it's not an all night break," Neil answered threateningly. Neil turned and left me alone with Vivian, walking over to the curly haired girl. "Come on, doll," He said, putting an arm around her shoulders, despite the look of discomfort on her face. I resist the urge to shout at him to leave her alone. "Let's take a walk,"


	8. Penny

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Seven

POV Baby

Penny

* * *

Billy chased around Johnny and his dance partner, desperately trying to get Johnny's attention. Finally, Johnny pulled away from the woman, and leaned over to hear what his Cousin had to say. Billy whispered something unintelligible in his ear. All I knew was that he was telling him Penny was crying in the kitchens.

Suddenly Johnny's face paled, shifting into a panic. He looked back to his dance partner. "I'm sorry, ma'am, you'll have to excuse me," Without another word, they darted out of the gazebo, heading towards the kitchens. I tailed closely behind, feeling very invisible at the moment, since no one had visibly noticed me since I told Billy about Penny.

Suddenly acknowledging my presence, Johnny spoke in that deep voice of his, "Why's she here?" It was such a cold voice, all business and almost hostile. But why would he act that way towards me? What had I done to him? I want to answer Johnny, but given the use of the word 'she' and the tone in which it was said, I choose not to. 'She' implied that he was talking to Billy, not me. And the tone just said, 'Don't mess with me.'

"I brought her in case Neil comes back," Billy told him, though it was a lie. I was here because I wanted to be, and Billy was just covering for me, explaining my presence in places I shouldn't be, exactly like he had done last night.

"Penny just doesn't think," Johnny spat as he continued to walk briskly across the lawn. I try to walk faster, my legs burning from the effort to keep up with him. I really should've put more thought into chasing after a desperate Dancer with long legs. _I hate being short,_ I think vehemently. I'd stopped growing at 5'3, and Johnny must've been anywhere from 7 to 8 inches taller than me. It wasn't even fair.

"She wouldn't do anything stupid, would she?"

Johnny didn't answer.

For the first time, I wondered why Penny was crying. One does not just sit down in the kitchen to have a good cry. "What's wrong?" I inquire, "What's the matter with her?" Carefully, I step over the chain link border on the pavement. There had hardly been any mention of her since we left the gazebo at all. Until now, that was.

A man of few words, Johnny remained silent at my question, too. But Billy didn't, "She's knocked up, Baby,"

A million questions racee through my head. Did she want it? How long had she known? Who was the Father? Had she told him? All of them were interrupted when Johnny scolded his Cousin, "Billy!" The Dancer frowned down at Billy, and then looked back in front of him, moving with purpose.

I stared at Johnny. Was he the Father? It would make sense, given his reaction just now. It certainly looked like they were sleeping together, even though Billy had assured me last night that that wasn't the case. I turn to Johnny's, "What's he gonna do about it?"

In a flash, Johnny turned to me, anger on his face, "What's he gonna do about it?" Then, his anger faded into something different. Not rage, but something decidedly unpleasant. Something bitter. "Oh, it's _mine_ , right? Right away, you think it's mine," Johnny spat. I guess that was a no.

"But I thought that-"

Johnny glared at me, a look that plainly stated that I thought wrong, then turned away from me and continued towards the kitchens. I want to know how it was possible for him to make me feel like such scum after only a few questions. I want the answer to why words just fell out of my mouth around him, with little to no forethought. I want to know more, but I won't ask now. Not with Johnny in such a bad mood, not when he can hear me. I'd have to talk to Billy later.

 _Great, Baby,_ I thought. _Just great. You really screwed things up this time,_

As we walked into the kitchen, I could hear Penny's sobs. Johnny purposefully walked down the aisles, searching for the source of the noise. Finally, I saw her, lying on the floor in a fetal position, crying her eyes out. Johnny knelt down next to her as she sat up. She was not a pretty picture. Her mascara had run, and her eyes were red. The tears combined with her blonde hair and red cocktail dress made this look like a Cinderella story gone wrong.

"It's okay. It's okay," Johnny told her, enveloping Penny in his arms. Her face disappeared into the folds of his jacket. "Johnny's here. Johnny's here. It's okay, it's okay. I'm never gonna let anything happen to you," Penny sobbed. "We've gotta go," He said, as Penny slid her arms around his neck. With quite a bit of longing, my fingers brush over my neck as I watch the scene, wondering what it would feel like to have him be so gentle with me. To feel his hands on my skin. Johnny easily picked her up, "Just hold on. Just hold on. Good girl. Good girl,"

* * *

"I thought they were a couple," I told Billy.

"No," He groaned, "They dated once, and that was back in Freshman year, you know, when dating is still a little bit of a joke." Billy and I ran up the steps on the bridge. We'd been sent to get a blanket, and some alcohol. Billy had the alcohol, since he was older than me, and worked here. I got the blanket.

"It looks like-"

"Like they're sleeping together," Billy finished for me, "I know. But trust me, they're not. It always looks like that. They're like Brother and Sister. Penny is Johnny's best friend. That's all there is to it."

I nod, trying to understand further, "That's why Johnny looked like he wanted to kill someone when I asked about the Father," Billy nodded, and pulled the door to the dance hall, which I had more recently realized was a storage facility, open.

The first thing I heard was Johnny's voice. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked in a very patronising voice, "You're in trouble, you talk to me, I'll take care of it," Penny sat huddled on the couch, Johnny's white jacket around her shoulders. She hasn't even tried to fix her makeup, but I didn't blame her. Lord knows how bad I would be in her situation.

Billy walked over to the pair and handed Johnny the blanket, and sat down, busying himself with the drinks. Johnny wrapped the blanket around Penny's shoulders. "You should've come to me in the first place," He remarked. I noticed that his shirt was open again, bowtie no doubt lying discarded somewhere.

"Forget it, Johnny, I'm not taking what's left of your salary," She insisted.

"Penny, that's _my_ business,"

"And besides, it wouldn't be enough," She continued, as Billy handed her the alcohol. A sob shook Penny's body, "Oh, God, it's hopeless," The blonde woman wailed over her glass of booze. Fat tears slid down her pristine face, marring it with makeup.

"Don't say that," I tell her, "There's got to be a way to work it out," Every problem had a solution, I believed. And I knew that there must be a way for me to help Penny. No one was beyond help, least of all a scared, young, pregnant girl.

The blonde looked up from her alcohol to me, and a sick feeling grew in my stomach, a piece of me sensing that the words she had to say weren't anything pleasant. "Baby? Is that your name? Well, you know what, _Baby?_ You don't know shit about my problems," Penny spat venomously. Johnny downed the rest of his drink.

Sheepishly, Billy admitted, "I told her,"

Penny glared at the Porter, a mix of shock and anger that didn't belong on her face. "Jesus, Billy! Now she's going to run and tell her little management boyfriend, and we _all_ get fired! Why not sky write it?" The Rockette asked in a bitter tone. "'Penny got knocked up by Robbie the creep!'"

"Robbie?!" I exclaimed.

Johnny and Billy immediately stood up, as if they thought I was going to run and tell Max. Johnny started to speak, "Look-"

Billy cut him off a moment later, "No, Baby! Baby," Billy walked over, and explained the situation, quietly, like the whole thing was forbidden. "One of the Counselors knows a Doctor. A real MD, just traveling to Newpulse for one day next week. We can get her an appointment, but it costs $250," In the background, I see Johnny standing, gaze averted from Billy and I, blue eyes studying the floorboards. His knuckles were white from stress around his empty liquor glass, and the Dancer released a heavy sigh of concern for his friend. Johnny had such a look of rage in his eyes, I thought he would break the glass just from the grip of his hands on it. He looked like a man struggling to keep his fury bottled up.

I look over to the Dancers. Their answer certainly explained it, the way Penny had stared at Robbie while he flirted with Lisa. It would explain why Johnny hated Robbie, why they had appeared to dislike each other when Max was lecturing them. "But if it's Robbie, there's no problem. I _know_ he has the money. I'm sure, if you tell him-"

"He _knows_ ," Penny informed me, voice empty. I remained silent, dumbfounded at how anyone could just leave someone they found out was expecting their child. Especially when they knew it. Penny laughed sadly. It was a laugh I hated, a laugh people have to naive little girls. And that's all they thought I was. A naive little girl. "Go back to your playpen, Baby,"


	9. Baby's Playpen

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Eight

POV Penny

Baby's Playpen

* * *

"So, Baby, what do you want?" Neil's voice came from the kitchen aisle, striding down towards me. This Baby, whoever she was, was no doubt his latest unwilling conquest. Even though I sit crying in the kitchens because of my own miserable situation, I feel pity for her. Neil flirting with you was not an enviable situation. When I first came here, I had been the object of his affections, and had endlessly tried to get rid of him. That was until he realized multiple things about me; that Johnny and I had briefly been a couple; that I had grown up in the same town as him, and still considered him to be my best friend; and that no amount of flirting would turn me into the meek, yet classy girl he wanted.

"You can have anything you want," He enticed her, "Brownie, some milk, left over rice pudding..." Desperately, I try to stifle my sobs before one of them heard me, but it is too late. Baby, who I now know to be the Houseman girl, watches me from behind Neil's shoulder as he continued to ramble on.

I shudder. She could is easily tell him, and just like that, I would be fired. _Please,_ I think, _Please, don't say anything._

"Beets, left over Cabbage roll, fruit salad. Sweet Gherkins?" Neil continued, glancing over his shoulder at Baby, oblivious to what she had just been watching.

She looked up at him, and a sensation of relief washed over me as she spoke, "Oh, Neil, look. I'm sorry, I'd better go check on Lisa," At least she wasn't as bad as the other guests, who would've turned me in in a heartbeat. Baby was kind enough, it seemed, to get Neil out of there so I didn't get in trouble, and could have the room to myself to cry at this pity party.

"Yeah?" He asked skeptically.

"Yeah," She answered, leading him out of the kitchen and away from me, while I started to weep again. Maybe, this time, it was from relief.

* * *

There were footsteps. Sharp, purposeful footfalls clicking harshly and swiftly against the kitchen tiles. I didn't even bother to hide my sobs this time. Why should I? I'd never be able to come up with that kind of money on such short notice. Let Neil fire me.

But then I was in Johnny's arms, and everything else melted away. He understood. "It's okay. It's okay," He assured me, though it was anything but, "Johnny's here. Johnny's here. It's okay, it's okay. I'm never gonna let anything happen to you," Another wail left my mouth when I heard him say, "We've gotta go," Obediently, I wrap my arms around him, feeling his own pulling me tighter, and lifting me up and away, "Just hold on. Just hold on. Good girl. Good girl,"

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Johnny scolded me, wrapping his white jacket around my shoulders, "You're in trouble, you talk to me, I'll take care of it," Billy, who had just re-entered after his search for blankets and alcohol, walked over and passed Johnny the blanket. Billy sat down and poured the drinks, while Johnny piled the cloth around me. "You should've come to me in the first place," He insisted.

"Forget it, Johnny, I'm not taking what's left of your salary," I protest to my friend. He already gave me most of it, be it for wardrobe additions for our performances, or for buying records, or to get a new table after one broke, or things like that.

"Penny, that's _my_ business," Johnny argued, but I stop him.

"And besides," I said softly, trying to calm his anger, anger at everyone. At Robbie, and Neil, and Max, and his Father. Even at me. "It wouldn't be enough," It would never be enough. It would take more than a month to make that kind of money, and we didn't have that kind of time. I wasn't going to drag Johnny down with me. Billy handed me a glass of the booze. Dryly, I remember that you weren't supposed to drink when you were pregnant. Not like it mattered, anyway. "Oh, God, it's hopeless," I wail.

"Don't say that," A small voice said from across the room. It was the Houseman girl, who'd found me. With a little bit of probing, I remember Neil and her Sister calling her Baby. Life did have a sick sense of irony, didn't it? "There's got to be a way to work it out,"

"Baby?" I question, "Is that your name? Well, you know what, _Baby?_ You don't know shit about my problems,"

In my peripheral vision, I see Johnny down the rest of his liquor, while Billy said, "I told her,"

He what? How could he? Billy knew as well as any of us did that someone like her finding out about this would mean we'd all be fired. "Jesus, Billy!" I exclaimed, "Now she's going to run and tell her little management boyfriend, and we _all_ get fired! Why not sky write it? 'Penny got knocked up by Robbie the creep!'"

"Robbie?!" Baby gasped.

In a flash, Johnny is up and ready to defend me, "Look-"

But then it is Billy, standing up from the couch and tripping over his own feet to get to her, "No, Baby! Baby," Billy stopped in front of her, and she looked over to him for an explanation, "One of the Counselors knows a Doctor. A real MD, just traveling to Newpulse for one day next week. We can get her an appointment, but it costs $250,"

"But if it's Robbie, there's no problem," She started, "I _know_ he has the money. I'm sure, if you tell him-"

"He _knows_ ,"

Baby was silent. Because how could anyone possibly be that cruel? It was a question I asked myself nearly every day. Without thought, a half sigh, half laugh came from my mouth. This naive little girl had no business with us, among cruel doings she didn't understand, "Go back to your playpen, Baby,"

Billy gave her a look that just said she should probably go, and without another word, she left.


	10. Loans

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Nine

POV Jake

Loans

* * *

Marje sighed in defeat at missing yet another of her putts. "What am I doing wrong?" She huffed in aggravation.

"You're lining it up a little wrong, Marje," I answered dryly as I pulled the golf balls out of the hole, dumping them aside for me to putt again. She'd been trying to golf more recently, as something we could do together, but just hadn't quite been able to get the hang of it yet

"Daddy," A voice behind me called out. I look behind me to see Baby, in a red and white shirt, jean shorts, and her white Keds.

I smile at my youngest Daughter, and then, looking to Marje, say, "You know, if your Mother ever leaves me, it'll be for Arnold Palmer," I joke. I was the best golfer in town. One of the better ones at a college level, too.

"Daddy, someone's in trouble," Baby said in a soft voice.

"Besides your Mother?" I question in jest, as the woman herself missed another putt. My wife straightened at my slight, about to snap. Before she could, I call, "No, you're over-correcting, Marje," I couldn't have her getting mad at me this early in the day, could I? Then she'd put up with absolutely nothing from me for the rest of the day, and that was no fun.

Trying not to mind my getting off topic, Baby continued with her previous train of thought, "And you always told me if someone was in trouble, I should try to help." I nod, hoping she'll get to the point. Baby had to be going somewhere with this. She wouldn't start a conversation like this for nothing. "Could you loan me $250?"

 _$250?_ Why on earth would Baby need that kind of money? What for? Briefly, I wonder if she had done something. If maybe she'd damaged something, or owed someone money. "Are you alright, Baby?" I questioned in fear. "W- are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, no! It's not me," Baby reassured me, shaking her head. "Could you loan it to me?" She continued.

I don't know. She'd have to pay it back to me. Baby did have a babysitting job back home, but it didn't pay that well, and she'd only be at home a few days before going off to Mt. Holyoke. Nowhere _near_ enough time to pay it all back to me. "It's a lot of money, Baby," I sigh. "What's it for?"

"Baby, stand up straight," Marje called from across the course, always trying to make our Daughters more ladylike. Baby straightened in order to appease her, quickly reasserting her attention to me barely a moment after her Mother's suggestion. Then Baby said three words I never thought I would hear her say.

"I can't tell you," She says. "It- it's hard for me to say that to you, but I can't,"

"You always said you could tell me anything," I remind her, hoping she will answer. What could it possibly be that she needed that much money for, for someone else, yet couldn't tell me? She'd always trusted me with any information. What had changed? What could be so bad that Baby couldn't tell it to me?

Baby swallowed, looking bleak, "I can't tell you this,"

I look at my Daughter. I was going to have to let her grow up sometime. There was no time like the present. And I had the money, and she was going to pay it back. I supposed that it would be okay, so long as it wasn't anything against the law. I wouldn't have my Daughter caught up in something that would damage her reputation. "It's not illegal, is it?" I ask her. If not, I would happily loan her the money.

Baby looked innocently at me. She couldn't fathom my questioning her word. I'd raised her for eighteen years, Baby wouldn't get up to such things, she knew better than that. "No, Daddy," She said softly.

I shake my head, conceding. "That was a stupid thing to ask," I tell her. I could trust Baby. I'd always been able to trust her. Baby never lied, never gave me reason to doubt. Not like Lisa. I hug my Daughter, and lightly kiss her forehead, "Forgive me. I'll have it for you before dinner,"

"Is everything alright?" Marje asked from behind us. My wife had a knack for sneaking up behind you. It was puzzling, but after so long, a bit endearing. Actually, it reminded me a bit of the Cat, come to think of it. Anyway, my guess was she'd been so curious that she'd either given up on her putting, or had finally made one.

"Fine," I assure her.

Baby smiled up at me and said, "Thanks," Before turning to go back to wherever she'd come from, leaving me still wondering just why she needed that money.

* * *

 **To any of you who wondered, $250 in 1963 would be worth about $2014.08 today, in 2018. So when people are going on about how much money it is, and how they can't come up with so much on a weeks notice, believe it.**

 **TheLovelyBallroomGeek**


	11. Help

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Ten

POV Baby

Help

* * *

Nervously, I shuffled into the storage facility. It was packed as always, and tonight the song they danced to was _Stay_. These parties seemed to happen every night, and Johnny and Penny were always there. I spy them now, dancing together in a secluded corner of the room, near Billy and a blonde women with a pixie cut who were dancing together. Carefully, I skirt around couples, and tap Penny on the shoulder, before retreating nearer to the wall.

Confused, they walk over. At my presence, Billy stopped dancing. They didn't know why I was here any more than my Father knew why I needed the money. I hand the envelope to Penny. "There's money,"

Penny grinned, brighter than I'd ever seen her do. "You mean Robbie?" She asked hopefully. Johnny looked on in disbelief. I doubted that people had shown him much kindness before. It broke my heart that that was the case. Everyone should be treated the same. The trouble was that it didn't happen.

I smiled, and shook my head, "No, you were right about him," Johnny took a swig of his Coke, wearing a bitter expression of distaste. Robbie had been painfully unwilling to contribute, but just helping Penny felt good, even without Robbie.

The blonde frowned, confused, "Then where'd you get it?"

"You said you needed it,"

Penny grinned wildly, looking down at the money I'd given her moments ago. She smiled even bigger than the first time. Seeing that smile felt insanely good. "Is this kid for real?" She asked Johnny. I looked to him. I had expected him to be happy, but he wasn't. Johnny was frowning.

"Yeah, it takes a real saint to ask _Daddy_ ," He spat. I looked down, which was confirmation enough. It hadn't occurred to me that they might care where the money came from, or that it might upset them that I only had to ask for the money, whereas they would have to work unbelievably hard to do it. I should have thought of that before. I should have come with something to tell them. Penny's smile faded.

She handed me back the money, "Thanks, Baby, but I can't use it." Penny dragged Johnny a few feet back onto the floor. She tried to dance with him, wearing a bleak expression.

Johnny looked shocked, and stood on the floor, unwilling to dance. "What's the matter with you? You should _take_ the money!" That was a good question. She still needed the abortion. Penny didn't need to feel bad about taking money I was happy to let her have.

At Billy's voice, I turn to him, "I can only get her an appointment for Thursday. They do their act at the Sheldrake next Thursday night. It gets canceled, they lose this season's salary, next year's gig."

"What's the Sheldrake?"

"It's another hotel. Where they do their Mambo act," Billy explained.

"Can't someone else fill in?" I ask.

Johnny groaned, and rolled his eyes. He turned to me, snapping at me in a cold voice, "No, Miss Fix It, somebody else _can't_ fill in. Maria has to work all day, she can't learn the routines, and Jenna has to fill in for Penny. Everybody _works_ here." Sarcasm filled his next words, "What, do you want to do it? You wanna take time out from Simon Says?" I glanced to the floor. I knew nothing about dancing. As much as I wanted, it would only go badly.

"Johnny," Penny scolded.

Billy mused, "It's not a _bad_ idea,"

"It was a _joke_ , Billy," Johnny answered, trying to close the subject.

But Billy wouldn't give up. "She can move," He said.

" _No,_ it's the dumbest idea I ever _heard_ of," Johnny told his Cousin. He was being a little harsh, but I wanted no part in this. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of a whole room of people like that.

"I can't even do the Merengue," I said desperately.

"See-"

Penny begged us, "Johnny, you're a strong partner, you could lead _anybody,_ " It was getting really hard to say no to Penny. She needed this so much. And I didn't have anything better to be doing. My time was better spent helping them.

"But you heard her! She- she can't even do the Merengue," Johnny argued, wanting absolutely nothing to do with me, "She can't do it. She _cannot_ do it,"

I glared at him. Choosing not to was one thing, being told it was impossible was another. That was it. I was going to help Penny. "I'm willing to learn, if you'll teach me. I don't have anything better to be doing," The three of us stared at Johnny, the only one left to agree. Penny would be fired if he didn't.

As a groan escaped him, Penny begged, "Please, Johnny," She said, "Do it for me,"

Johnny groaned, and hugged his friend in defeat. "I'll do it," He agreed, "But _only_ for you," Johnny turned to me, "Meet me here tomorrow morning. 10:00 sharp. _Don't_ be late." I nod, and turn to leave the party.

What the Hell had I gotten myself into?


	12. Dance Like No One's Watching

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Eleven

POV Johnny

Dance Like No One's Watching

* * *

I sighed as Baby left, not quite sure what to think. Since the very moment I met her, I hadn't been able to get her out of my head. I wanted her out, she shouldn't have been there in the first place, but she was. I just didn't know what to do about her.

Baby had improved today, that much I knew. It wasn't possible for her to get worse. One side of me was telling me that any attraction I had for her would go away in time, to just do what I had to do as far as the lessons went, and that once the Sheldrake had passed, I could, _should_ , forget all about her.

Then there was the other side. The side that told me she was incredibly beautiful and she didn't even know it. The side that wanted to act on my attraction to her, and at the same time knew it was wrong to do so without knowing her feelings. The side that was constantly telling me to abandon the Mambo and show her the real, dirty dancing that I wanted to show her.

Still deep in thought, I exit the storage room and began heading down the trail, which lead to my cabin. Feeling warm in the moment, I push up my sleeves. It was humid today, and while my time with Baby hadn't exactly been the most strenuous of a practice, with today's humidity, it had still been enough to work up a sweat. Upon careful appraisal of my attire and skin, I conclude that I was definitely going to need to shower before tonight's party.

As I continued down the path, I further explored the trail of confusion winding it's way through my brain to my protege and newest dilemma, Baby Houseman. She, as far I knew, was indifferent towards me. Baby was naive, and she wanted to help everyone, even people like Penny and I. She wanted to believe the world was good, that it could be better. I didn't understand her motivation to help us, but I knew that she was in this for Penny, and no other reason. She hadn't wanted to learn how to dance, I recall, thinking of how adamantly she had originally argued against Billy's suggestion of her filling in at the Sheldrake.

"Two, three- no! Dammit!" A voice exclaimed from further ahead. In curiosity, I peek my head around the bend, not wanting to reveal myself to the person.

A small smile curled onto my face when I saw that all too familiar head of curls standing there on the bridge in all her white Keds wearing glory. She was practicing the steps, I realized in a dry thought.

Baby growled in frustration, kicking at the wooden floorboards of the bridge. Baby backed into the railing, glaring at her feet as if they alone were responsible. "I know this! It shouldn't be this hard!" She exclaimed.

Baby went back to the beginning of the bridge, and repeated the steps, watching her feet each time. And then she did it again and again. I realized then that I was going to have to teach her not to look at her feet when she danced.

Baby stomped her foot in rage at her fourth failed attempt to cross the bridge. "He just showed me this!" She wailed to herself in distress.

I was torn. Part of me found her little idiosyncrasies incredibly endearing, and wanted to keep on watching these little moments when she wasn't insecure, or somebody's Daughter or student. Just Baby, or whatever her real name was. The other half wanted to go down there and help her, but I knew that if I did, I would never see her do this again.

So she went back, and she danced. But she didn't look down this time, she kept her head up, muttering the count furiously to herself. And it worked.

* * *

The next time I witnessed her little bridge routine, we were both on our way to the lesson. I'd been running late, since Vivian had held me at her lesson a few minutes longer than I would've liked. And after that, I'd ran back to my house to change clothes, and take a quick shower. Her perfume had gotten all over me, my clothes, everything. And I couldn't stand the thought of showing up like that to Baby, even if I was only going to get sweaty again.

It was silly, I knew. I was chasing a woman who would never be mine. I didn't even have a chance, and even if such things were allowed, she'd never go out with me. I shouldn't have wanted to impress her the way I did.

And then I saw her dancing as she walked up the steps. Her arms were half in the frame, and she bounced on the balls of her feet, prancing up the steps. Baby wore a tight pink tank top and jean shorts that were belted at her tiny waist, with her trademark white Keds.

I wondered if it was possible for someone to be wearing too much and not enough at the same time. The clothes revealed pleasant curves, and her shorts might as well have been underwear for all they covered. The way she swayed her hips and behind while she danced was enough to drive a man wild. Drive me wild. I wanted to take her away, someplace where no one but me could see her like this. Where I could kiss her, take off the rest of-

No. I couldn't allow myself to think like that. Baby wasn't mine. She wasn't anyone's, and she never would be. She was her own person. And more than that, she was forbidden.

* * *

But then it happened again as she left. I caught her on the bridge as she made her way back to her cabin, only it was dancing like I had never seen come from her. Baby pranced down the aisle, kicking gracefully, like every step had been thought out. Then she twirled off to the side, resting her hands on the railing, looking from side to side, checking if anyone had seen her.

Baby dipped back seductively, chin tipped back, eyes shut, curls spilling through the air. Her dainty legs elegantly slid back under her while she rose, and began shimmying off the bridge and out of sight, rolling her shoulders as she went.

The sight of it was nearly too much to handle. I felt like a letch just considering it. Baby's lips, her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, all things I wanted to kiss. Her hair, the curls I yearned to play with, but knew I never would. Her legs, legs I burned to touch in ways only a lover could. In ways that I was never going to be able to.

That was not the Baby I had originally met just now. That was the new one. The one that had come out after I'd taught her to dance. The one I didn't know what to do with. Who still didn't know how beautiful she really was, how much I wanted her. The Baby that reeked sex appeal, and wasn't a baby at all. Her inner vixen had come out to play.

Baby had grown up.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" I ask in disbelief.

"I needed to see you," Baby answered from where she stood on my front stoop. "Are you going to let me in?" She questioned, glancing at the doorway as if there were a glass wall separating us. Something that was there, but neither of us could really see it, and as long as it remained, the other would be just out of reach. And fragile. Oh, so very fragile.

The wall was not made of glass, I muse. It was of made of all the things between us. Every unspoken word, unsaid emotion, and unfulfilled wish for contact. Every time I thought about being with her, and held it back.

I gave an anxious nod and let her in, gesturing into the room behind me. "Would you like to sit?" I inquired timidly. I had a feeling why she was here. Today, I had taken her out to the lake to show her the lift. And there had been a moment. A moment, when I had wondered if she liked me, too. A moment, when she looked like she wanted to kiss me just as much as I had wanted to kiss her. You know. One of those moments.

Baby gave a shy nod. "Sure," Swiftly, I removed my leather jacket from one chair, and some other clothes from my second one, dropping them next to my record player, which was playing _Kiss Me Goodbye_. Looking rigid, Baby sat down in the chair. Frowning, I realized that I probably should have put a shirt on for this. But it was too late for that, and Baby had seen me like this before.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I ask, pretending I don't know why she's here. I knew why. She knew why. And it was killing me. In an effort to defuse the tension, I sat down next to her.

"Don't play dumb with me, Johnny Castle," Baby said in a stern tone, "You know why I'm here. You know what I'm talking about. You're not stupid. You've known for a long time, and I think you're just too afraid to tell me," She accused, face bearing a frown. I hated to see Baby frown. She deserved nothing but happiness until the day she died. She deserved the things that I would never be able to give her.

I looked down to the floorboards. So, she knew. She knew my secret, the one that I had been struggling to contain since I met her. I had been falling in love with her. With a sigh, I shut my eyes, like it will make this go away, and tell her, "I don't know what you mean," Wishing she would get the hint and talk about something less painful. Less desirable.

Baby slid off her chair and onto her knees in the floor in front of me. "You know," She whispered. Baby set one cool hand on the hot skin on the back of my neck. Her delicate fingers threaded into my hair, and she set her other hand on my jaw, pushing my head up. "Look at me," She whispered, urging me to open my eyes.

I can't do it. I can't open my eyes now. It will be far to much to see her like this, warm and willing. Not a hesitant bone in her body, and she was asking for me. She wanted _me_.

"Look at me,"

I do. I look her right in her eyes, trying to express what she makes me feel. Being around her made me feel alive. It was like I had been asleep my whole life, until meeting her. And now I was _awake_.

Baby's breath hitched in shock at whatever she saw in my eyes. We are close enough to breathe the same air, breaths warming each other's face. Her hand fell to my waist, and she pulled me closer, lips hovering just below mine.

I could kiss her now. Now would be the right time, the opportune moment. In fact, I was fairly certain that she would let me do a great deal more than kissing. No one would ever know. Here, in the quiet of my room, softly illuminated by lamps and red tinted light from Chinese paper lanterns, we could be whatever we wanted to be to each other. We could be lovers, could kiss, and it would never leave this room.

I turned my face away at the last second, and stood up from my spot. I couldn't. I couldn't do this, I think, looking at every spot in the room, walls, floor, windows, ceiling. Everywhere and everything but her. I would lose my job for this, for feeling the way I did about her. I wouldn't allow myself to be more than this to her. Not with the cost. Not with the pain it could do to her.

Baby sat back on her feet, face crestfallen. _Did I do something wrong?_ Her face asks. _Am I not enough?_ She is enough. She is more than enough. And under better circumstances, she could be the only thing I ever needed for the rest of my life, a thought that was both wonderous and terrifying.

"Wh-" She starts, but I interrupt her. I will not let her blame herself for my pulling away.

"It isn't your fault," I assure her, shoving my hands in my pockets. Baby swallowed. "I just can't. Don't get me wrong, you're- you're..." Baby cocked her eyebrows in curiosity, both daring me to say it, and at the same time, finding it amusing that I couldn't. "You're beautiful," I finish. We were both adults. Well, I was. And Baby was one in everything but name and age. We both liked each other, more than liked each other. It wasn't a sin to tell her that she was beautiful. "But I can't. _We_ can't. You can not feel that way about me, Baby," I whispered. "You can never feel that way about me. And I want to, more than anything. As much as you do,"

She stood up, face painted in confusion. Baby stepped closer. "Then why not-"

"Because of Max," I cut her off. "It's against the rules for me to have a relationship with a guest," I illustrated harshly. "I teach people to dance. Unless I'm recruiting you, or teaching you, I'm not even supposed to talk to you. I'm not supposed to see you, I'm not supposed to be sneaking around giving you dance lessons. I'm not allowed to be friends with you, I'm not allowed to touch you unless it's dancing, and I'm sure as hell not allowed to want the things I want with you. Max will _fire_ me if he finds out about us."

"He's not going to find out," Baby whispered, stepping ever closer. "You don't know that,"

"Yes, I do, Baby," I spat, "He always finds out."

"Not this time," Baby assured me. She looked up hopefully, looking determined and ever so brave. So much braver than I was. "I want to dance with you,"

"Now?" I questioned in disbelief. Our whole system of denial goes crashing to the ground, everything is out in the open, and she wants to dance? "At a time like this?"

"Yes," She answered, brown eyes looking into mine, arms around my neck. I slide my hands across her ribcage to meet at her back. The first embrace after such a confession should be more, but this one can't be. This is what we have to satisfy ourselves with. "You're not supposed to talk to me, or touch me or see me. Unless we're dancing."

"Baby, we can't be together," I sigh. "I've told you. As much as I want to, we can't."

"Just dance,"

I sighed, hearing the song change to _Sixteen Candles_. "What do you want to learn?"

"I want..." Baby pursed he slips and pinched her eyebrows together. I await her response, ready and willing to dance. "Like what the staff do." My eyebrows shot up. That? She wanted to learn dirty dancing? "Only... slower. Like how you would dance with me if we could be together."

Jesus. That kind of dancing. The kind I had wanted to show her since I first began realizing the depth of my feelings. I wouldn't dance like that even with Penny. I just couldn't fake that kind of emotion. That kind of passion, of yearning. But... it was what she wanted. It would make her happy.

So we danced.

It was slow at first. But it was almost unbearable. To see her like this, know she wanted the same things I did... and know that it could never be. Every time she dipped, I didn't know wether to look away from the tantalizing skin on her neck, or to kiss her. Every sensual motion was a new challenge, and brought me a hair closer to breaking. My feelings for her were so strong that it hurt.

So when she finally kissed me, I didn't have that strength to resist. I didn't care enough to fight it anymore, I just needed her. I needed to hold her. And soon enough, it wasn't just kissing and dancing, it was taking off each other's clothes. It was stumbling out of shoes. It was me laying Baby down on the bed. It was our naked bodies moving together, hot and sweaty under the sheets, too breathless to even speak. It was-

Abruptly, I roll out of my bed and onto the floor with a thud. Muttering a string of swear words, I brush some of the hair from my eyes, and glance at my watch. Two in the morning, still dark. Still the middle of the night. I rub a palm across my face, hoping to walk up further, and untangle myself from the mess of bedsheets on the floor, eventually climbing back under the covers.

 _It was just a dream_ , I think through my heavy breathing, which could have been from waking up so suddenly, or the intensity of my dream. Just a dream. Nothing had happened yet. I hadn't done anything that could get me fired yet.

Yet.

* * *

 _Just act natural,_ I told myself on the way to my next lesson with Baby. _Act normal, and she won't know the difference. All you have to do is pretend you didn't have a sex dream about Baby. You didn't do anything last night. You can control yourself._

Sure.

The dream I'd had last night had thrown me for a loop. It had only been a dream, I hadn't done anything wrong. But because of that dream, I had overslept, and was running late, which I would have to explain to her.

I hadn't thought I would see her on the bridge again, but clearly I was wrong. Only this wasn't dancing, like it usually was... she was applying makeup. Leaning against the railing, Baby ran a beige lipstick over her lips, watching her reflection in a small compact to keep it neat. I didn't even know she wore makeup. She certainly didn't need it. But... how long had she been wearing it? Had I not even noticed?

In that moment I made a decision to reveal myself to her. Tomorrow night was the Sheldrake. It wasn't going to do any harm now. "Baby?" I call out.

Baby stopped, looking around nervously in an attempt to spot her intruder. She quickly closed the lipstick and slammed the compact shut. "Johnny? Is that you?"

"Yeah," I answer coming into the open from my spot in the woods. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," She said curtly, trying to close the topic, even when she had the evidence on her face, the mirror still in her hand, though she was trying to hide it behind her back. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd already be up there?"

"Overslept," I explain with a nod. "I had trouble sleeping last night." Boy was that an understatement.

"Bad dream?" Baby inquired.

"You could say that," I answer, not wanting to elaborate further. Hoping to turn the topic away from me and my dreams, I not so conspicuously try to sneak a glance at her make up. "What do you have there?" I smirk, knowing all too well what it was. Before she can react, I take it from her hand.

"Johnny!" She shrieked, clambering around me in an effort to steal it back, but I am faster than her, and stronger, not to mention taller. I have the advantage in every way. "Give that back!" She wailed in a helpless, yet irritated voice. Baby stamped her foot in frustration.

Knowing it would drive near crazy, I briefly open the compact. "You call this nothing?" I smirk. Baby snatched it back.

"It's not even mine," She admitted, snapping it closed again with a soft click. "I stole it from Lisa,"

I raised my eyebrows. "You stole it?" She nodded wordlessly, avoiding my gaze. Baby clasped her hands together, fidgeting nervously under my scrutiny. "Baby, you don't even need makeup," I sigh. She was beautiful enough without it. She was too beautiful, if such a thing were possible. "You're better than stealing,"

Baby glared at me, expression icy. "I'm supposed to wear makeup at the Sheldrake," She elaborated sharply, like it was something I should know. "I need practice. And don't tell me what I'm above doing. My Father would say that I'm above helping you. Neil would, Max would, and so would two dozen other people I can think of. I am the one who decides what I am above," Baby articulated. "I, and I alone."

"Penny can help you before the Sheldrake," I suggest, deciding that I had better back off. Having her mad at me was the last thing I wanted. "I know she's having the dress fitted tomorrow."

"I'm going to have to learn at some point," Baby argued, "I can't go my whole life without wearing makeup. The me that came here would never have been able turn understand that, but I do now. I'm not the same," She admitted.

"Yes," I agree. "That, at the very least, is something I can understand."

* * *

 **I thought it might be fun to write the bridge scenes from Johnny's eyes, which is how I ended up with this chapter. But in the movie, Baby clearly thought she was alone, so I had to work around that for this. And the reason I can tell is that you don't dance like that when people can see you.**

 **I also really wanted to have Johnny dreaming of Baby. It's really cute, and I hope you guys liked it too.**


	13. Hungry Eyes

**I do not own Dirty Dancing.**

Chapter Twelve

POV Penny

Hungry Eyes

* * *

"Head up," I hear Johnny tell Baby while they Mambo across the studio. He lifted one arm from the frame and pushed up her chin, as she had been staring down at her feet. Part of me believed that Baby would've done it in a second or two, but a little voice in the back of my head said that Johnny just wanted another excuse to touch her, weather he was conscious of it or not. Johnny was the most tactile person I knew, especially when it came to Baby. "Lock your frame," Johnny warned, "Lock it! Lock it!"

Johnny stopped, and touched her arm, "Look, spaghetti arms!" He criticized. Johnny stepped back before launching into the latest lecture he was giving Baby, " _This_ is my dance space." Johnny gesture in front of him, and then in front of her, "This is _your_ dance space. I don't go into your's, you don't go into mine. You've _gotta hold the frame,"_ He illustrated. Johnny glanced at me, over by the record player, "Again."

Carefully, I reset the machine to the beginning of the 45 Johnny was using to teach Baby, and hopefully, perform to. It was a Mambo, _De Todo Un Poco_ , or in English, _A Little Bit Of Everything_.

"Frame," My partner ordered the girl, who went into it on cue. Sensing the imperfections, I stride over and began correcting them, as easily as some people edited papers, or revised paintings or drawings. With precision, I close her fingers over Johnny's, and push my left hand into the center of her shoulder blades, holding my hand on her hip. While Johnny and her dance, I stay right with them, keeping Baby's frame steady until such time when she could hold it herself.

These two were such fools.

Johnny and Baby, each intelligent in their own ways, yet completely blind when it came to their own feelings, and how the other felt about them. Baby probably didn't even understand the depth of what she felt for Johnny, let alone know that he couldn't take his eyes off her, even when they weren't dancing. But at least she was trying. Her confidence had builded, and now she was experimenting. She was doing things she thought he would like, putting on makeup, and wearing scant clothes to practice. Johnny might not have noticed, but I did. Women always noticed.

But then, Baby could show up at two in the morning wearing a burlap sack with bedhead, and he would still think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. At parties Johnny and I performed at, all he could do was watch her. He had hungry eyes for her, eyes that wanted to say and do forbidden things to her. Johnny was still under the delusion that his feelings for her were a crush, and it would seem impossible to him that Baby might reciprocate his feelings. Because why would a girl like her want someone like him?

* * *

The count is a mantra in my head, strong and steady, and always going. Even if it hadn't been, I could still hear it in the music, in the rhythm Johnny tapped on his feet from where he sat on the other side of the room. I was rarely able to make it into Baby's lessons, seeing as most of the time I had my own to teach, or Neil wanted me to manage some event. Tonight was a rare exception, when I could come in and show Baby about mirroring.

Slowly, I increased the pressure I was putting on Baby's hand, to send the message that it was time to move. At my behest, she moved her right hand in a slow circle, from top to bottom and back again. When I pressure her left hand, she does the same with it.

My God, these two were stupid.

I'd been hoping that they would at least be able to clear the air about their feelings for each other by now, but _no_. That would have meant talking about it, and and reaching a decision about what to do. Despite my liking Baby, even considering her one of my better friends, despite my being happy for Johnny that he'd finally found someone to make him happy in ways I never could, any relationship between them was against the rules.

No, _now_ , Johnny was falling more and more in love with her every day she spent with him. I knew Johnny better than anyone, and he was falling head over heels in love with her, even though I had my doubts that he was even aware of it himself. But I knew he looked for her in every room. I knew that it was killing him that there was no chance of a relationship with her.

Masking my thoughts, I pressure both hands, and as we had discussed, Baby repeated the circular motion. When her hands reached the bottom of the circle, she watched me for cues. Slowly, while I danced, I take my hands to my blonde locks, playing sensually with them, and bringing my hands back down, Baby barely a beat behind my actions.

After a few more counts of the basic, I run through the gestures again, and then go into closed position and lead her that way, doing an Underarm Turn. I look over at Johnny as Baby and I danced, and grin. He nodded, and yawned, looking very tired. It had been a long day for us.

I step away from Baby and pick up an old skirt of mine from the table where the phonograph sat. It was great to use for practicing this kind of stuff. Sometimes you learned arms styling better if you had something to hold onto at first. I know that helped me a lot. I handed it to Baby, who swirled the fabric back and forth, like we'd discussed she would do on the Walks. She held the top of the skirt up to her waist, checking size, which should be fine.

She wasn't any help to the situation either. Don't get me wrong, Baby was even better at hiding her feelings than Johnny was. But where Johnny was trying to stop his feelings, I knew that all Baby was really wondering was if it was at all possible he had feelings for her.

And then there was me, the third wheel between them. One part of me wanted to shout at them to just kiss already, the other wanted to scold them for feeling the way they did when nothing could ever happen.

Two of my greatest friends were falling in love with each other, something that would be an impossible relationship.

And I had no clue what to do about it.


	14. Dancing Shoes

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirteen

POV Baby

Dancing Shoes

* * *

"What size shoe do you wear?" Penny asked me curiously as we stood in the Dance Studio, Johnny fiddling with the records at the back of the room, in a 'Pretend I'm not here,' Sort of way.

I really still didn't know what I was trying to do here. I was kidding myself if I ever thought I could be like Penny or Johnny. I wasn't anywhere near as good as either of them, and at this point I didn't think I ever would be. Penny was breathtakingly beautiful, you didn't have to be a lesbian to admit that. She had long blonde hair, a tall, thin frame, gentle curves, and long legs. And Johnny was...

What _was_ Johnny? Ridiculously handsome, incredibly talented, very stern. He had this uncanny ability to make me feel like a child, a baby, next to him, and yet at the same time seemed to awaken things in me that belonged to a woman. It made no sense, and it was utterly foolish for me to think that he could like me the same way I liked him. He'd never go for me. And yet... I was noticing things. Things that shouldn't happen if he didn't like me.

"Seven," I answered nonchalantly. Penny strides over to a closet at the back of the room. "Why? I ask somewhat nervously. "Is there something wrong with these?" I ask her, glancing down at my favorite pair of Keds. I'd had already changed into my practice gear for today, pink shorts with white polka dots and a matching bralette. I'd been in my Keds since we started, so I didn't really see the point in changing them now.

"No," Penny answered blandly, shuffling around inside the closet. "You just can't perform in them. We've got about five days left, so you should probably start with the shoes now, give your feet a chance to break in."

"Break in to what?"

"These," Penny said with a grin. She was holding out a pair of shiny silver shoes, with a three inch heel, with a T strap, closed backing and toe straps. The most unusual thing was that the soles were leather- not the smooth part, the fuzzy part. Penny shut the closet door. "From now on, this pair of shoes is your baby," She articulated. Penny handed them to me with a grin. "Try them on."

I sat on the floor and undid the ankle clasp. "What's with the leather soles?"

"They're Ballroom Shoes," Penny shrugged, hands on her hips. "They're all like that. See?" Penny picked up her foot to show me the bottom of her shoe, identical to mine in every way except they hers were gold, far more worn on the bottom, and two sizes bigger than mine- probably because Penny was so tall. Sure enough, they had leather soles. "The leather moves better against the floor, makes turns easier, but still let's you keep control."

"So I wear them to practice and when I perform?" I ask, to make certain.

"Mhmm." Penny nodded, helping me up. "Now, these are Ballroom Shoes. They're not like other shoes. These babies get their own rules."

"Rules?" I questioned with an arched eyebrow. What kind of shoe had rules? I mean, there were a few obvious ones, like, don't wear white shoes in mud, or certain shoes shouldn't get wet, but how would these be any different than other sets of heels?

Penny nodded, "Yes. Rule number one, don't wear them outside. It gets the sole dirty. Rule number two, don't dance in them on carpet. You'll wear out the sole faster that way, and it creates friction on turns. Rule three, bring socks, or nylons, or bandaids to wear with them until they get well enough broken in."

"Why?" I asked the Rockette in a nervous, slightly terrified voice.

"Because you're gonna get blisters."

"Umm..." I began, looking slightly terrified, about to ask if there was a way to avoid the blisters part of this whole ordeal.

"Oh, relax, Baby," Johnny groaned, striding over to where Penny and I stood, arms folded over his chest. "They don't hurt that bad. You get blisters because your feet aren't used to dancing in shoes like these. They fit tighter than regular shoes so your foot doesn't come out in the middle of a song," The tall Dance Instructor explained, brushing an unseen speck of lint from his shoulder. "The blisters are spots where calluses will build up, they protect your feet, so that when you dance, or turn, you don't get blisters. Like what happens to your hands when you do monkey bars,"

"You just said it wasn't that bad," I warily reminded him. Johnny simply rolled his eyes.

"And rule four," Penny began, looking at me with a wide eyed, serious expression, "Wear them whenever you can. Wherever you can. Walk around in them, practice in them, dance in them, Wear them to the parties. Just make sure you don't get caught doing it, or if you do, make sure it isn't someone who would question you having shoes like that. Or make up something to tell your family about where you got them. The point is-"

"Don't let anyone know they came from us." Johnny finished sternly, blue eyes trained on me. It felt like he was looking right through me when he did that. The sensation gave me shivers. "Or we get fired, and all this is for nothing."

"How am I supposed to wear them to the parties without taking them outside?"

Penny shrugged. "Tell your family a lie about where you got them, say you want to keep them clean, walk there barefoot, or in backup shoes, put them on at the party. Or, you could try to walk only on the stone path and the steps. Stay off dirt and grass, and wet areas, mostly, and you should be fine."

"Just make sure that you step in clean, dry areas, and don't break them," Johnny continued, looking down at me. "Shoes like that aren't exactly cheap- a good pair costs more than we make in a day."

"And, in case you get bored of silver," Penny added, reaching back into the closet, "There's these," The Rockette said with an excited grin, holding out a pair identical to the silver shoes I was wearing, only in cream. "They're the same as those other ones, size, shape, both brand new. Your feet will react the same to them. Have fun!"

* * *

"I'm going to kill Penny," I mumbled, slumping back again the wall of the dance studio, falling to the floor.

"Oh, come on, Baby. It can't be that bad," Johnny rolled his eyes, lowering himself onto the floor across from me. "Let me see," He insisted, gesturing to my foot.

Begrudgingly, I pick up my left foot and set it in Johnny's lap, my ankle resting against his thigh. Skilfully, Johnny's fingers unlatched the buckle on my shoe to examine my foot. Thankfully, it was only in one spot, the same spot on both feet, the knuckle of my big toe. Johnny lifted the bandaid that was covering it.

"Well, that looks like it hurts," Johnny remarked, eyeing the blisters cautiously. They were angry red as a fresh layer of skin began to form.

"No, you think?" I roll my eyes.

"Believe it or not, those really aren't all that bad. They're mostly healed," Johnny stated, covering the spot back up. "Keep on doing what you're doing, and it'll be completely healed for the Sheldrake, and you probably won't get a new one if you keep up with the bandaids and nylons until then. Those shoes are yours- as long as you want them. Keep using them and eventually callouses will build up so you don't need things like that when you dance."

"You're sure they'll be better by the Sheldrake?" I ask skeptically.

"Positive," Johnny assured me, fingers delicately gracing over the skin on my ankle as he slipped the silver shoe back onto my foot. It was a disturbingly pleasant sensation. "You should've seen the ones I got when I first started dancing- twice as bad, at least. I still have scars on my feet from them. If you ever hear a Dancer talk about having pretty feet, they're either lying or they're not really a Dancer."

I want to ask Johnny about how he became a Dancer, how long he's been doing this, who first taught him. But I don't think he'd tell me if I did. That only makes me want to know more about this stubborn, beautiful man sitting right before me. "Do you think you'll keep up with Dancing?" Johnny asked as he watched me, leaning back on his hands.

I pulled my foot out of Johnny's lap. "Maybe," I smiled. "I don't mind it so much anymore. But my family still doesn't know about this, so it's not like I can just all of a sudden start dancing. They still think I suck."

"I know I really haven't said it," Johnny began with a smirk, "But you don't suck."

"That really helps," I laugh, brushing a curl from my face, body shaking with laughter. Johnny grinned at me.

"I mean it," He smiled, watching me with those blue eyes of his. I swallowed. "I haven't told you enough, but you have more natural talent than anyone I've ever worked with, aside from Penny maybe. You're getting good," Johnny told me. "You could be as good as her one day. And that's not nothing."

I looked across at my dance partner and smiled. "Thanks, Johnny," I tell him softly.

"Don't let it go to your head," Johnny smiled as he stood up from his spot on the floor. He offered a big palm down to me, and I took it. Effortlessly, Johnny pulled me up from the floor. "Back to work, Baby."

* * *

 _Johnny's pulse pounded against his chest, against mine. His hands clutched my hips hungrily while we swayed sensually to the Latin rhythms. Desperately, I try to catch my breath in the moment. I had gotten better at timing my breathing the more we practiced, but more recently, the problem had become less my inexperience than Johnny._

 _Johnny Castle. Butterflies stirred in my stomach nearly every time I thought about him. He was the most frustrating man I knew. Even though I knew for a fact that he would never reciprocate my attraction to him. Despite the hopeless situation of my crush, he never ceased to take my breath away._

 _I had imagined what it would be like with him a handful of times. I'd never done it with anyone before, but I wanted to do it with him. One part of me thought that it couldn't be all that different than the first time we'd danced. The other part thought that it would be so much better, all passion and breathless moans, ardent kisses. The sounds of lovemaking would fill the air, my skin on his beneath the sheets, sweat mingling in the darkness._

 _Johnny threw me back into a dip, pulling me from my inappropriate thoughts. His hand grazed my thigh while I rose. Johnny urged me closer, bodies pressing tightly together, faces mere centimeters apart. I could see passion and hunger swimming in his blue eyes. Desire. Desire for me. Without thought, I tip my head back, feeling his hot breath on my neck and bare shoulders. Johnny pushed closer, lips ghosting over my jaw, touching sweet kisses to my skin._

 _He looked at me, all but asking my permission. My hand slipped down his jaw, curling around his neck to press into the spot between his shoulder blades. **Yes,** Is the word I try to convey without sound. **Yes. Please.**_

 _He closed his eyes, lips drawing nearer and nearer. An inch away. A centimeter. A millimeter, but it is not close enough, and it never will be. Then, I felt the barest sliver of skin from his lips-_

"Darling, are you feeling okay?"

Abruptly, I jerk my eyelids open, blinking furiously to wake myself up. Dammit. I'd been fantasizing about Johnny again. Pleasant as it was, I hated doing it. It was so easy to get caught when I let myself slip like that, and it wasn't like it would ever go anywhere, so what was the point?

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," I yawn, pulling my book from off my stomach. What had I been reading again? Discreetly, I glance down at the book's cover. _Pride and Prejudice_? How did I get... _that..._ from _Pride and Prejudice_? They weren't anywhere _near_ the same realms as far as romance went.

With a swallow, I close the book and set it on the end table, attempting to shake off the dream with a few dozen blinks and a twitch of my eyebrows. Mom leaned over, touching a hand to my forehead. "You don't feel warm..." She thought. "But all of a sudden you just seem to be so tired lately. Could you be coming down with something?"

I shake my head. "I'm fine," I insist, "Really," I wasn't sick. It was just that Johnny's lessons were taking a toll. On a good day, I came back sweaty and exhausted. The worst of it all were the late nights. He didn't always have time for me in the day, so sometimes we'd be up till two in the morning practicing for the Sheldrake.

Mom pursed her lips. "Why don't you stay home from the party tonight?" She suggested, "I know you really aren't enjoying yourself at those things. You probably wouldn't tonight, either. Tonight is supposed to be a masquerade."

I quirk my eyebrows. "Masquerade like costume, with idiots walking around dressed up like the Mummy or Dracula, or masquerade like Mardi Gras, and just masks?"

"The second one. It's a dollar a mask," She informed me. "But I really do think you should stay here. Get some rest."

I swallowed. A masquerade. I could go, and no one would know it was me. Just one night, a break from the lies. "Okay," I agree, even though resting was the last thing I planned on doing.

* * *

"Mask, Miss?" The man outside the door asked me. There were a few other tables of masks being sold, manned by what I could only assume were off duty Waiters or Porters. Keeping my head down to be certain no one saw my face, I respond affirmatively, and hand the man a dollar bill.

The man nodded, and handed me a black and red feathered mask, matching my dress. "Thank you," I nod, stepping off to the side to tie my mask on.

"Baby?" A voice behind me questioned. I jerk my head around to gaze upon the intruder, dropping the mask unintentionally, and find-

"Oh, Billy," I sigh in relief. Quickly, I bend down to pick up the mask. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," He breathed in disbelief. "And... wearing that?" Billy questioned, eyeing my attire up and down. It was a dark red silk dress, trimmed in black lace, something I'd once worn for Freshmen Homecoming, and had grabbed last minute when my Mother insisted upon fancy attire. It was low cut, and tied around in the back, giving it a tight bodice, but it flared out around the waist, allowing for free movement. I'd paired it with the silver dance shoes Penny leant me, fishnet tights, also Penny's, and had put my hair into a nice pleat, which Penny, again, had taught me, and I would wear for the Sheldrake. "I thought you-"

"I know, Billy," I say. "You thought I was the good girl. And I did too. But... the dancing, and the Sheldrake, and I'm just not sure anymore." I look around at all the guests flocking into the ballroom. "Tonight's a masquerade. People are trying to be something they aren't. They aren't dressed like themselves. I'm not..." I hesitate. "I'm not the same person I was when I came to Kellerman's. We both know that. This," I gesture to the dress, "Might be going a little bit far... but I just need one night where I don't have to feel like I'm lying to everyone. Most of all myself."

Remaining stoic, Billy nodded. "I know how you feel about Johnny," Billy whispered. "Promise me that this isn't you chasing him?" I nod. "Good." Swiftly, I turn from Billy towards the doors, tying my mask as I go. Finally, it is secure. "Baby," Billy called again.

"What?" I ask with a small smile.

"You're a knockout," Billy insisted. "And he's going to love that dress,"

I smiled bittersweetly. "No," I shook my head. "He won't," Johnny didn't like me. He could barely stand me.

I see Billy grin as I ran up the steps, and hear him cry, "You're a fool, Baby!"

* * *

 **Not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant to post this chapter, but I enjoy the scene it goes through a lot, and no, it's not done yet. There's another part of this, at the masquerade Baby is going to, from Johnny's eyes.**

 **I kind of wondered if they would interact with each other at dances when Johnny was giving her lessons, and I started to really want to write a scene like that. But they couldn't really be seen together, so I had the idea to make the party a masquerade, since they could dance without people knowing, and it seemed like the kind of thing a place like Kellerman's would do anyway, which is how I got this.**

 **To address a few things from the chapter- I wrote Baby as really conflicted in this section, on multiple points, and I thought a few of you might be wondering why.**

 **On the first count, she was conflicted about how Johnny felt about her. When I write scenes, I have her certainty of Johnny's feelings for her shift. Baby is a teenage girl, she's awkward, and probably hasn't had a lot of boys interested in her. Some days, Johnny is better at hiding his feelings than others, which would be confusing for her. She's bound to be going back and forth on what his feelings might be, especially with the way he acts at times.**

 **For the second count, I wrote Baby most noticeably in this chapter as being confused about who she is as a person. She's young and still deciding who she wants to be, even if Baby thinks she has it all figured out, she's still growing and maturing. And now, she's being asked to do things she hasn't done before, lie, and dance, and keep secrets. That's going to affect her. Now she's doing things she wouldn't ordinarily have done, but she doesn't mind it. She's liking things the her that came to Kellerman's didn't like, and she's changing. Now, Baby's not sure that she's exactly what she thought, so this chapter and the next is a lot of her struggling with that, trying to decide who she really is.**


	15. Masks

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fourteen

POV Johnny

Masks

* * *

"Have I mentioned how boring this is?" I sigh from where I leant against the wall at the back of the room.

"Yes, about five other times tonight," Penny rebutted harshly. "Now shut up." Penny and I had been here for about three hours now, and I'd had just about as much of the guests that I could take. Thankfully, I'd managed to avoid Vivian for most of the evening. "Time?" Penny questioned, gazing mundanely at the floor of couples attempting a clumsy Nightclub Two-Step.

Covertly, I glance at my watch. 10:30. "Half an hour left," I mutter, tapping an upbeat rhythm on the back of my hand. All of a sudden, I felt Penny elbow me in the side. "What?"

The blonde smiled and pointed at the door, to a girl who had just entered. She wore a red and black mask to match her dress, and fishnet tights. The dress was cut so low it was scandalous, and her hair was piled on top of her head. "So?" I inquire, despite my finding something oddly familiar about her.

"That's Baby," Penny hissed in my ear.

"No," I shake my head. "Her Parents are over there," I argue, gesturing across the floor at the couple. "And she'd never wear something like that to a place like this. Not with her Parents here."

"I'm telling you that's her!" She insisted. Penny pointed more insistently at the girl. "The shoes!" She cried, "Look at the shoes!"

With an eye roll, I humor my friend, and glance at the woman's feet. My jaw dropped in shock. It was a pair of silver dancing shoes identical to the pair Penny had given Baby. "No," I shake my head.

Penny snickered. " _I_ showed her how to do her hair like that, and those tights she's wearing are borrowed from _me_ ,"

"Her Parents would never let her come here in that," I insist.

"What if they don't know she's here?" Penny asked. I quirk my eyebrows in confusion. "It's a masquerade," She said, gesturing to her silver mask, and my black one. "They were here before her. With the way she looks tonight, they'd probably have to hear her voice to know it was her."

I swallowed. I couldn't believe it. Baby. Dressed up like that. She was barely recognizable as herself anymore. This wasn't her. And yet it was. It was the sensual side of her. The inner vixen I'd seen come out to play that day she practiced on the bridge.

"Ask her to dance," Penny smirked.

"What?"

"You heard me," My friend grinned. "Ask her to dance. Show her some new moves," I swallowed nervously, suddenly unable to call on the nerve I'd had in every situation previously that had required it. I adjusted my jacket, and felt Penny push me out to the floor. Annoyed, I glance back at her smiling face. "Go on," She laughed.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ I ask myself on the way across the floor, or more accurately known as the longest walk of my life. _You're gonna make a fool of yourself,_

Baby jumped about a foot into the air when I tapped her shoulder from behind. That was the Baby I had known. Skittish. Skittish and the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Deep down, she really was still the same. "Johnny, you scared the living daylights out of me," Baby exclaimed.

"The same to you," I respond, hastily dragging her over to the side of the room, where she'll hopefully have less attention, even though it wouldn't be possible for me to give her less of mine. Especially in that dress. "Do your Parents know you're here?" I ask. Baby looked down to her feet. "Wearing _that?_ Christ, Baby, I barely even recognized you until Penny pointed out your shoes! What if someone here got the wrong idea about you? Who would you go to for help, because I can't believe you'd go running up to Daddy dressed like you are!"

Some part of my subconscious knew that I was only being this protective of her because of my feelings for her, and that I would never do this for a normal student. Lord knows what I would do to anyone who made a lewd comment about her. But at this point, the rest of me didn't know, and didn't care. The rest of me wants Baby in clothes that didn't have two dozen men old enough to be her Father staring at her like a piece of meat. The rest of me wanted her back in my room, on my bed, not even a sheet between us.

"I'm just tired of lying to people," She says, "I just wanted one night when I didn't have to lie about where I'm going, what I'm doing, who I'm with."

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Max circling the floor like a hawk, looking for me. "Come on," I insist, dragging her out to the floor. I told Penny I would dance with her, didn't I?

"But Johnny-"

"Shh." I cut her off. "Max is watching,"

"But, Johnny, I don't know this one!" Baby cried under her breath.

My eyebrows pinched together. "It's a Rumba,"

Baby scowled and put her hands on her hips. "It's-"

"Alright, alright," I agree, tugging her into the frame. Sometimes I forgot that she hadn't even been able to Merengue before I started teaching her. Baby had so much natural talent, it was ridiculous. She just needed the right teacher to show her how to use it. Apparently that was me.

"You know Waltz?" Baby shook her head helplessly, throwing away my comparison window. "Alright. The count is slow, quick, quick. You take one step backwards with your right foot, then two to the left. Then repeat, except forwards and to the right. You make a box, going clockwise. Understand?" I ask. Baby gave a curt nod, but I know that right now, all she really wants to do is talk. "Good,"

"Ready to talk now?" Baby asked dryly.

I nod, wanting to continue the line of discussion from earlier. "First off- your Parents, secondly, the dress."

Baby looked briefly to her feet, either in hesitation, or to make sure she was counting right. "They don't know. They're under the belief that I'm back in my room. Mom gave me a pass out of this tonight, seen as how I've been very tired lately and could be coming down with something." I rolled my eyes. The tiredness was because of me, I knew. There'd been a lot of days where I didn't have time to get her in, so I was forced to teach her late at night, a thing that Baby wasn't used to.

"As to the dress," Baby continued, "It was one I wore to my Homecoming a few years ago. I only grabbed it last second on account of needing formal wear, and it isn't something they'd recognize without a lot of studying."

"But why?" I question. "Why tonight? Here?"

"I'm sick of lying to everyone," Baby told me, loosening her frame in defeat. For once, though, I didn't mind. In fact I welcomed it. And then, all of a sudden, Baby was right up against me, arms around the neck, frame completely abandoned. My breath hitched, fighting to control my baser instincts, beating back every nerve that was telling me I wanted her.

"Baby," I strain nervously against her, "What are you doing?" A voice in my head said to welcome it. It was the side of me that wanted her, and wanted to die every time it was reminded that she was hopelessly out of my league and always would be. The part of me that was very encouraging about acting on how I felt, especially in moments like these.

"My Parents," She hissed into my ear, next burying her face into my chest. The feathers on her mask tickle my face. "They're almost right behind us,"

"Well, that's a very comforting thought," I hiss darkly. "Why don't don't you just say that my worst fears have just come to life?"

"I can't," She muttered. "That's my fear. Get your own," I roll my eyes exhasperatedly.

"Okay, Look," I began in her ear, knowing that this would have to be fast. "I get being sick of the lying. You're not used to it. But just think. In less than a week, this is all over. No more lying. You can go back to being naive little Baby Houseman, and go up to Mt. Holyoke. You never have to see me again," I say, even though that was my real greatest fear. The fear of not having her in my life. I needed Baby more than she knew. But instead of showing it, I continue, "In fact, you can forget all about me,"

"I don't want to forget," She whispered, and then more quietly, so quiet that I know it wasn't intended for anyone's ears but hers, "And I can't go back."

I know, I want to respond. I couldn't go back either.

What was there beyond Baby Houseman?


	16. Learning The Lift

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifteen

POV Baby

Learning The Lift

* * *

"And back, easy. And turn, turn, down, and lift, you learn that later. And..." I struggled to remember the names of these last few steps, so I just let Johnny lead me. The stress had only increased, with just two days until the performance. "Come on!" He shouted in encouragement, "Down, twist, and, bow." At the last note, a groan escaped Johnny's lips. He was bent sideways in obvious pain. I stood up as best I could, Johnny following. He bent over, supporting himself on his knees.

"Sorry! Sorry," I told him, irrationally hoping to be spared the brunt of his wrath. Johnny glared spitfully at me. I didn't even know what I'd done. "Are you trying to _kill_ me? You've gotta _concentrate!_ Is that your idea of _fun?"_ He shouted.

Something in me snapped. I set my hands on my hips, anger creeping onto my face. Every inch of me was covered in sweat. "Oh, _yes_ , as a matter of fact, it is. We're supposed to do the show in _two_ days, you _won't_ show me lifts, I'm not sure of turns, I'm doing all of this to _save your ass!_ What I really want to do is drop you on it!"

Johnny just looked at me. Not with anger, or any emotion, really. He almost looked confused. The next words out of his mouth confuse _me_.

"Well, let's get out of here!"

* * *

Johnny and I walked through sheets of rain to his car. He tugged on the handle to no avail, and looked in the window. "Shit!" Johnny slammed his palms into the roof of his car. He turned to me to explain, "I locked the keys in the car,"

I stare at Johnny. I couldn't do anything, and it was his car. Johnny looked around, and stomped over to a light post, kicking off the bulb. He kicked the wooden steak until he could pry it from the ground, at which point he smashed it the through the rear window to open the door. I step back and turn away as he did this, shielding my eyes from any shards of glass that may have gone flying.

It was so astonishing to know someone who should do as Johnny had done. I couldn't believe he actually broke the glass. Like, really? Was there no better option? As if sensing my astonishment, he smirked. Johnny pulled the door open for me, and motioned for me to get into the car, "You're getting wet, right?"

I climb in, and unlock the other door for him. As we drive out of Kellerman's, I tell him, "You're wild,"

"What?"

"You're _wild!"_ I howl, throwing my head back in laughter, Johnny laughing with me. After a while, we go off road, nearing what can only be our destination. "Where are we going?" I ask him. Johnny pulled the door for me. I took his hand, and he helped me out.

"You're gonna learn the lift. Come on," He answered. Johnny took my hand, and walked over to the fallen log. The stream below was shallow. He leaned down, and took off his shoes. Apparently we needed to be barefoot for this. Somewhat skeptically, I follow his lead. "Shoes off," Johnny said.

He snatched up my Keds the second they were off my feet, along with his. "What are you doing?" I ask, slightly frightened.

He answered in but a few words, "You don't get them back until you make it across."

Johnny stepped into the log, my shoes with him, and paced across, while I sat down on the other end. He turned back, strolling in the middle of the log. He held his arms aloft, and stood on his toes. "Now, the most important thing to remember in lifts, is balance," Johnny lept into the air, and landed unsteadily on the log. For a good thirty seconds, he struggled to regain his balance, as we laughed together. I think that he perhaps made the moment last longer than it should have. Maybe for me. "I got it now," Johnny laughed.

"So where'd you learn to be a Dancer?" I question. That had been something I was curious about from the beginning. Johnny quietly snubbed the guests. He didn't come from a well off family, that much I knew. I seriously doubted that his Parents got him into dance school.

Johnny looked thoughtful at my question, and shrugged. I wondered how long ago it was. Johnny was an experienced Dancer, but he wasn't all that much older than me. He was only twenty one. Johnny began to describe, in the simplest terms, how he had quite literally fallen into his profession.

"Well, this guy came into this luncheonette one day, and... you know, we were all sitting around, doing nothing," Gracefully, Johnny sat down on the log, as he continued to explain, "And he said that Arthur Murray was giving a test for Instructors. So, if you passed..." Johnny stood up. "They teach you all these different kinds of dances, show you how to break them down, how to teach them, you know?" So that was it. He had lucked his way into a career, with no idea just how far it would go.

I looked back to Johnny, who had bent one knee, and stretched his other leg back, into a sort of lunge like position. He extended an arm, and beckoned to me, twitching his eyebrows. It was comical, but I kept myself from laughing. He couldn't be serious. He did _not_ want me to dance on the log. Hoping that isn't what he wants, I nervously ask him, "What?" Johnny beckoned again, and pointed to the log in front of him, wearing an evil smirk. I shook my head, "No." There was no way I was getting on that log, shoes or no.

Johnny abandoned the ridiculous position, and walked over to me. He took my hands in his, and helped me up. His hands were warm, like always. "Come here," He said. Fearfully, I gaze down into the water below. The water was shallow, and I could see the rocky riverbed below. I'd been afraid of heights since I was a child. If I told him, he might not make me do it. But something stopped me from admitting such a weakness to him.

"No. Hold on," Johnny put a finger under my chin and nudged my head up, keeping the riverbed well out of my line of sight. "Don't look down. Look right here," He said in an encouraging tone. Johnny pointed to his eyes.

Blue eyes.

I take a deep breath, and swallow. I could do this. My shoes were at stake here. I just had to look right in those eyes of his, and dance like I always did. His eyes were my anchor. Johnny smiled, and pulled my arms into the frame. "Good. And..."

Johnny stepped backwards. I wobble helplessly on the log, gripping Johnny's shoulders so tight that I'm sure they'll leave bruises. Uncontrollably, a laugh burst from my stomach. With Johnny, the height wasn't so bad.

Johnny stepped back again, and again. We go one step at a time, until we reach the middle of the log, where Johnny released me. Johnny leads a few seconds before me, but I copy his motions to a T. But eventually, we danced over to the other side of the log, and stable ground was beneath my feet once more. I released a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding, and we put our shoes back on. "Where to, now, oh, great genius?" I ask. Johnny was leading us somewhere, I just didn't know where.

He looked back at me, and gave a vague answer, "The field. We need room for this. Open space," The answer left me almost no new information. I was supposed to be learning the lift. His words began to make sense as we approached a field of tall grass. Johnny took my hand, and lead me out to the middle. Quietly, I await instructions.

"Okay, step back. Just a few steps. Not too far. We'll work up to the full distance. And we won't go all the way up the first time," I nod to his words, and do as he says, stepping back a few yards. A feeling of exhilaration filled me at the thought of doing the lift. It shouldn't have. I'd always been afraid of heights, and normally, this would have counted. It was like Johnny was draining away all my fear. Johnny continued to instruct me. "You're gonna bend your knees, and go up. Go," He ordered.

Johnny motioned, and I charged foreword. All of a sudden I feel Johnny's hands on my hips, holding me in the air, not too high. In a moment I'm back on the ground, and he backed away from me, for the next try. "Good try,"

I desperately want to go again. I can feel the energy pulsing in me, screaming with a desperate need to please him, to get this right. Johnny held up a finger to stop me. "Now, you'll hurt me, if you don't trust me, alright? Now go. Go." Quietly, I wait for more, but he says nothing. "Go," Johnny insisted.

I surge foreword, and once again feel the sensation of Johnny lifting me up. There is a strong pressure of his thumbs pressing into a soft patch of skin between my hip and pelvis. When he sets me down, it brushed against my skin feeling almost ticklish. "Good," He smiled, backing up for the lift, "Now we're going to go up this time, alright?"

Hesitantly, I nod. I didn't know how I felt about going all the way, teetering on a few inches of his hands. Regardless, I charge forward. This time, on the way up I screeched, and felt myself curling into a fetal position. I collapse on top of Johnny, landing in the tall grass, howling with laughter. Days ago, I would never have laughed at something like that.

I roll off of Johnny, untangling our limbs. Suddenly, I heard his deep voice, "You know, the best place to practice lifts is in the water,"

* * *

Apparently, 'the water' was a small little bay in the lake. It jutted inland on the far right side, away from prying eyes. I took off my striped button down shirt, unwilling to get it wet, and my shoes. I knew that he'd seen me in little to no clothing before, but I wasn't about to strip down to my underwear to go for a swim. He could've seen _everything_.

Where I left on most of my clothes, yet again, Johnny took off only his shirt, and, of course, shoes. My eyes lingered on the lines of toned muscle all over his body. We waded into the water until it was waist high.

"Okay. We're going to try this again," He says, as I move closer to him. My eyes skim over every inch of his skin, pulled away only at the realization that he'd put his hands on my hips, preparing for the lift. I set my hands on his shoulders. "So just bend your knees, and go!" Johnny lifted me from the water and held me over his head. I struggle, trying to remain as still as possible. "Good! Good, now hold the position! Hold it," He encouraged, "Good, don't break it! Don't break it!"

As we fell back, a shriek escaped me, soon to be silenced by the water. I surfaced, air filling my lungs. Johnny was a few feet away, and I swam over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck for support. I felt like I was going to burst from laughter, from joy. I'd never been this happy before. The most spectacular thing, was that he was laughing too.

Johnny rested his hands on my hips, as mine slip back to his shoulders. He pulled away slightly, confusing me. My worries flit from my head moments later, as I know that we're about to try again. I breathe in reassurance, "Okay."

"Alright, let's do it again," Johnny lowered himself deeper into the water. Simultaneously, we brush the damp hair from our eyes.

"Okay," I whisper.

"Alright. One, two, three!" The water leaves me, and I am surrounded by air. There is only air, and Johnny.

I can sense something, an unnatural sensation. I must have made a mistake. Immediately, I apologize, "Oh, sorry,"

Johnny's comment is not what I expected, but then, he was the one doing the real work in this. He had to concentrate to keeping me in the air, "Good," He strained, as though I hadn't made a mistake, "Your legs are... no! No, don't do th-"

I screamed, realizing what was about to happen just before I hit the water. I was overwhelmed by the cold of the water, and immediately kicked up to air. The first thing I see is Johnny shaking water from his hair. Laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. I swam over, and put my arm around his neck, wiping water from my eyes. I laugh again, certain that this was what pure joy felt like.

As Johnny straightened, my hands slipped down his chest, feeling the muscles there, "That's not too bad," He said, commenting on my lift.

Johnny turned slightly red, and reached for my shoulder. My strap had fallen down in the commotion. That wouldn't have bothered me so much if the temperature of the water hadn't been letting him see everything underneath my shirt, regardless of the fact that I'd left it on. Before he can touch me, I slide it back on my shoulder. Johnny pulled his hand away and shrugged.

"One more time?" I suggested, wanting to get this right before the Sheldrake.

Johnny nodded, "Okay." He bent down and put his hands on my hips, while mine were at his shoulders, as always, "Over my head, go,"

Johnny pushed me from the water one last time. This time, when I landed back there again, it wasn't because I fell. It was because I finally did something right.

* * *

 **Hi, Guys! Sorry it's been so long. I was busy for a few days, and then our WiFi went out before I could update. I spent most of today editing stuff I'd already posted, because I could a few inconsistencies with italicization, and words that should be capital, but weren't.**

 **I'm going to catch up Exerts From The Way I Feel With You before I update The Way I Feel With You, so it might be a bit before I post something on that again, but don't worry, I will continue with it.**

 **I would like to thank bobcatwriter for being the first person to leave me a review. It was great to finally hear from someone, and your comments are greatly appreciated. And if you like the way I weave the minor characters into this story, I have a few things I plan on doing with Lisa that I think you're going to enjoy, but that's coming up later. Until then!**

 **TheLovelyBallroomGeek**


	17. Rainy Days

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing_.**

Chapter Sixteen

POV Johnny

Rainy Days

* * *

I lowered Baby back into the water. This time, she'd finally been able to keep from falling into the water. It was a good sign. She could do the lift now, another step closer to her being able to perform. I glance down at Baby, who looked prouder than I'd ever seen. I smile down at her, glad to share in her pride, and feeling pride of my own, pride that I had been able to make her smile like that. It seemed amazing how just being around her could feel so wonderful. "That's good," I admit, though I want to say much more.

My hands haven't moved from her hips, though they should've a long time ago. But then, hers still rest atop my shoulders. Did she want me to move them? No. I couldn't afford to think like that. As badly as I wanted Baby, nothing could ever happen between us. Even if she wanted it, too, I wouldn't encourage something between us that could never happen. I refused to hurt her like that.

Baby gazed up at me with those beautiful brown eyes of hers, smiling softly. Whenever she looked at me with those eyes, it felt like she was looking straight into my soul. With Baby it was not an unpleasant sensation. I would've told her anything she wanted to know. In a not so brief moment of weakness, I smile for her.

I was on the brink of falling in love with her. I had been for a long time. There are so many questions I want to ask her. Does she have feelings for me? Didn't she know what she did to me? Couldn't she see how badly I wanted her? How I ached, burned for her every touch, look, and smile?

The words want to spill from my mouth. My lips want to kiss every inch of her skin. I have never wanted to kiss her this badly before. But the one rational part of my brain remembers all too well that kissing Baby, telling her how I feel, crosses one line too many. Than no matter what I, or we, want, it can never happen.

A shriek from Baby was probably what pulled me back to reality, as opposed to the only silver of rationality concerning her that remained. All around us, raindrops hit the water. I laugh at her distress, "Oh, come on, Baby. It's not like we can get more wet than we already are,"

Baby showed just how much she didn't appreciate my response by splashing water in my face. Somewhat childishly, I get her back by doing exactly the same thing. Baby gasped at the cold of the water, and sent a wall my way.

Promptly, I returned fire, and dove under. The water stilled above me, and Baby stood in the distance, confused. Even underwater, I could hear her call my name, "Johnny?" I knew what I was about to do was wicked, but couldn't resist. Grasping her ankles, I yank her underwater.

Baby twisted from my arms and surfaced, me a second behind her. She was not happy, "That was a rotten trick!" Baby shouts, at which I laugh, before explaining my devious ways.

She scowled down at me, yet my grin remained, "Yeah, but the expression on your face was priceless," However mad she is, it's not mad enough to keep her from swimming back to my arms, despite it's being unnecessary for her to be there.

Above, a clap of thunder rang out. It had been raining all day, and I should've had us get out of the water when it started up again. You should never go swimming during a rainstorm.

Baby frowned, and sighed. "I suppose we have to get out, now," Grimly, I nodded. Together, we wade to shore. I simply carried my clothes, having put on my shoes, in an effort to keep them as dry as possible. Baby put on her sneakers and picked up her button down shirt, but left it off.

Once we reached my car, I got the passenger door for Baby, and then went over to the driver's side. After I climbed in, I didn't put on my shirt. My pants were already soaked. Baby had seen me shirtless, and my shirt didn't need to get wet, too.

Minutes later, we were pulling through the parking lot. "Am I dropping you off at your cabin?" Briefly, I look at Baby. I didn't know what she'd told her Parents about where she was today. Maybe her Parents weren't even at their cabin, and she could walk around in wet clothes unquestioned.

She shook her head. I thought not. "No. My clothes need to dry out, first." Baby looked to her shirt and plucked the damp fabric from the taut skin of her stomach, "This is going to be a little difficult to explain when they think I've been at a Chess tournament for the last few hours. Even with the rain."

I nodded. So, she was at a 'Chess tournament' today. That seemed like something Baby would do. But if I couldn't drop her at her cabin, where was I supposed to take her? I couldn't take her to my cabin, or anyone else's for that matter. "Where, then?" I questioned, feeling around for suggestions. As tempting as it was to take her back to my cabin, I wasn't going to risk anyone catching us there, especially in such states of dress as we were in.

"Just the storage facility is fine, I guess." I nod to her words. It was as good a place as any, being as it would be empty for hours, so she could wait until her clothes were dry without prying eyes. I parked in the staff lot, which was really a wide gravel driveway in the back of Kellerman's where the staff left their cars.

I climbed out from the car, and walked around to get her door. She took my hands and stood up. Baby looked like a drowned rat standing there in the rain, with her wet clothes. I had towels in my cabin. I could bring them back for her. Deciding, I tell her, "You go up to the storage room. I'm gonna head up to my cabin and see if I can find you some towels."

Through the rain, I heard her voice. "Which one's yours?"

Mine? She wanted to know where my cabin was? Why on Earth would she want to know that? There was no reason for her to know, other than simple curiosity. Because she genuinely wanted to know. I point in the direction of it. Mine was built away from the others, off in the woods. "That one," Thinking about the storage room, I say, "I'll meet you there,"

* * *

After walking in, I immediately leant the umbrella against the wall, finally sheltered from the pelting rain, "I come bearing towels,"

Baby took one almost before I said the words. She presses it to her hair, as I laughed. "Have I mentioned that you're the best?"

Laughing, I answer, "No, but it wouldn't kill me to hear it again. I would've brought clothes for you, but I think we're not quite the same size."

Baby rolled her eyes as she responded, "Not quite. But that would be even worse to explain to my Parents. Instead of coming back in soaking wet clothes, I come back wearing the clothes of a strange man they don't know. I don't even want to picture what they'd say,"

In my mind, her Parents' reaction to Baby showing up in my clothes was not a pretty picture. Of all the ways she could end up wearing my shirt... that was the last one I'd thought about. Drawing me back to reality, I see Baby taking her shirt off. In a span of three seconds I pale, and then go tomato red. She had to be teasing me. "Baby... what are you doing?" I question, trying not to sound nervous.

"I'm taking off my clothes, what does it look like I'm doing? They'll dry faster that way." Baby pulled on her pinstripe shirt, in an attempt to cover herself. I said nothing pertaining to the fact that I could see her bra through the shirt. She took off her jeans, and laid them out on a wooden bench with her shirt. Desperately, I tried not to stare as she knotted the towel at her waist.

Mentally, I curse myself for not bringing my own clothes. They would've gotten dirty from the lingering lake water, as I didn't have time to shower before coming here. That was better than my alternative, stripping down in front of Baby. She was absolutely right that they would dry faster if we weren't wearing them, and going out in the rain to get dry clothes would only reverse any progress I'd made since I put them back on.

The part of me that yearns for Baby takes control. Irrationally, I take off my jeans, and dry my hair with a towel. Baby gaped at me from across the room, and I hid my smirk. She was amazing, this woman I had feelings for. One second she's taking off her clothes. And the next shocked because I'm taking off mine. "You know, you are something else, Baby."

I hadn't expected a response, but I got one anyway. Baby burst into laughter immediately after my words, though I had no idea what was so funny. I smile at her idiosyncrasies, "What?"

Through her laughter, Baby managed to get out, "Can you imagine what people would think if they could see us now?" The thought made me laugh. I couldn't help but picture Neil's face at seeing the two of us, drowned and not wearing much clothing.

"That would be interesting," I admit.

It is hours before our clothes are dry enough to put back on, but eventually, we redress ourselves. Baby's voice came from across the room as I buckled my pants. "Johnny?"

"Yeah, Baby?"

"Am I just a student to you?"

I freeze for a moment. This was a question that I both wanted and feared to hear. How was I supposed to answer this? To lie, was impossible. I wouldn't lie to Baby. But I couldn't tell her the truth, either. Somewhat desperately, I try to laugh it off. To dodge her question. "What? What's that supposed to mean?"

Baby is silent for a long time before explaining. "Well... when this thing first started, we were only doing it for Penny's sake, right?" Reluctantly, I nodded. That much was true. Back then, though I was attracted to her, I only agreed to teach her because of Penny. Her pretty face wouldn't have been enough. "Has that changed? Me... at first I kind of hated you. But now... I like being around you. It doesn't seem like a chore anymore,"

I consider her words deeply. There was only so far I could go in this without admitting I was that close to falling for her. Her words were true. Once I'd gotten to know Baby, it had been more about my feelings for her, me wanting to teach her than Penny making me. Softly, I speak my answer, "Yeah. I guess I feel the same. Now it's become more something I want to do rather than have to. I like spending time with you, Baby." My words were true. But they did not tell all.

Baby stepped over to me, to say goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow," She enveloped me in a tight hug, startling me. A friendly gesture, albeit one I hadn't been expecting. We'd never really... hugged... before. And this, despite being something often done between friends, seemed too... different for it to mean just that. I thought it was wonderful, and even began to return the embrace. I nodded to her words. Each passing day, my feelings for her grew. A decision would have to be reached soon, each day bringing it closer.

"Tomorrow."


	18. Choose

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Seventeen

POV Baby

Choose

* * *

 _"Baby," Is the first word that came out of Johnny's mouth the minute he saw me standing there outside his door. "It's late. What are you-"_

 _"I need a favor," I cut him off, brushing past Johnny and further into his room. Johnny, too shocked to have stopped me, turned around to face me, looking solemn, handsome, and yet very confused at the same time._

 _Johnny's eyes fell to the floor, and he pushed up the sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt to his elbows. None of the buttons were done, the shirt just fluttered in the breeze, revealing toned muscles across Johnny's chest and abdomen. He shoved his hands in his pocket, carefully contemplating his next words. Then, all at once, he looked up at me, eyes willing. "What do you need me to do?"_

 _"I want you to make love to me,"_

 _Johnny froze, like a statue. I could see, he understood what I was asking, but at the same time as wanting to believe I was asking, he couldn't. "No," Johnny answered me. I blinked, shocked by it. He liked me, that much I knew, so what could be amiss? "I can't, Baby, even if I wanted to. I would lose my job,"_

 _"You're such a bad liar," I shook my head. "Don't say you don't want it, because I know you do. We both want it," I stated firmly. Johnny still wouldn't look me in the eyes. "I want this to happen, and I want you to be the one to do it,"_

 _"Why me?" Johnny questioned cynically, "Bossman wasn't available, or something?"_

 _"I don't want Neil," I responded softly, stepping closer to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I never asked for him, Johnny. I want you. Every part of you. I came here for you. You are never going to be my second choice,"_

 _"Baby, no. I'm not going to sleep with you just because you think you want it," Johnny shook his head. Johnny took my shoulders in his hands, softly caressing the skin with his thumb. His blue eyes bore straight into mine, searching for some inkling that I wasn't sure about this, even though he would find none. "You don't know what you're asking me to do," He breathed._

 _"I am asking you to forget about the rules for one night," I whispered, pressing closer to him. "And to do what we have both wanted to do for a while. Nobody knows I'm with you, so that means that unless we decide otherwise, what happens here tonight never has to leave this room." I swallowed, almost afraid to say my next words, but I keep going, "Johnny, I want my first time to be with you. With someone I actually care about, who actually cares about me. I want a good memory. So, yes, I know what I'm asking, when I say I want you to make love to me. I'm asking you to enjoy it. I'm asking you to make this a good memory for both of us."_

 _Johnny stood still for a moment, a perfect sculpture in the middle of his room, one whose magnificence rivaled that of Michelangelo's David. I would have given anything to know what Johnny was thinking then. His hands slid down my arms to my hands, our fingers entertaining between us. The Dance Instructor stepped closer, expression until unreadable, yet in his eyes, I saw so much vulnerability. He guided my hand to rest on his chest, my fingers overlapping on the fabric of his shirt and Johnny's smooth, unmarred skin. Slowly, in one deciding action, Johnny leaned down, and pressed his lips to mine._

 _I breathed in deeply, wanting to savor the kiss. Johnny's strong arms circled my waist, pulling me to him, our bodies pressing against each other in the night. Involuntarily, my arms wrap themselves around his neck, my hands feeling his broad shoulders and hard muscles. Johnny kissed me deeper, tongue in my mouth, hands clutching at my back._

 _His lips move, and now trail kisses along my jaw, and neck. A breath hitched in my lungs, shocked at how wonderful this felt. My spine bent backward as he moved firther down, the base of my throat, my collarbones, the very beginnings of my breasts. I pushed Johnny's shirt from his shoulders. Johnny lifted his head, and kissed me again, holding me tight._

 _These were not the kisses of an infatuation, they were the kisses of a man enamored. And I was returning them. Johnny held me like there was no tomorrow, so I wondered how deep his feelings for me ran. I still wondered how deep mine ran._

 _Johnny's palms ran over my butt, the backs of my thighs, and he kissed me again, softer this time. He lifted me off the ground, my legs latching themselves together around his hips. Gleefully, we spun around together. Johnny laughed, grinning with joy, and so I laugh with him, seeing the world in his eyes._

 _His breath tickled my face as he set me down. My fingers trace up his back, sensing every line of muscle, every inch of skin. It was all mine to treasure. His lips trailed sweet kisses along my neck, I inhaled at the shocking pleasure of the sensation. Johnny's lips brushed over mine, a ghost of a kiss, and then a more certain one._

 _When the kiss breaks, we still cannot help but beam at one another. This moment is secret, and sinful, and so, so, wonderful, because it was only ours. Sometimes I still couldn't fathom how much I cared for this one person. Given enough time, I could love Johnny. I cared enough to give myself to him. Or was it the other way around?_

 _ **No,** my heart whispered, **You're giving yourselves to each other,**_

 _Johnny palms sat on my hips, and mine slipped over the tops of his shoulders, down his chest, the tight muscles of his abdomen, to clutch at the hem of his pants. He kissed me again, just as I begin to undo the belt. Then came the buttons, and the zipper..._

 _Johnny pulled my shirt over my head, ready to move this along. One big hand trailed over the sensitive skin of my side, the other sliding over my butt. But he moved his hands, clutching at my face with an insatiable need, and kissed me like it was the end of the world. This was an end all, no tomorrow sort of kiss. The kind worth dying for._

 _Johnny kissed my jaw, gently suckling the skin of my throat, as though trying to drink me in. It made me gasp. His lips met mine again, arms tightening around my waist. Mine latch around his neck, and with no further ado, Johnny lifted me from the floor, and walked over to his bed. Unceremoniously, He set me down on the mattress, and I was pushed back onto it, Johnny on top of me, as we continued to kiss one another._

 _As the night went on, Johnny and I only became more lost in each other. I couldn't help but care this deeply for him. Every moment, touch, and look had been noticed and treasured that evening. I never wanted to leave his arms. Johnny was mine, and I was his, and we-_

I jerked myself awake from my dream. I'd been dreaming about him again, I note. It was faintly light outside, I see, and a glance at my watch reveals that it was 4:30 in the morning. Lisa still slept soundly across from me. With a huff, I roll over onto my back.

That was the second sex dream about Johnny that I'd had. The first had been in a catnap the day of the masquerade, and while it hadn't exactly progressed far enough to get to sex, that had so obviously been where it was going.

Tonight was the night of the Sheldrake. After tonight, there would be no reason for Johnny and I to see each other, unless we talked. I knew he liked me, and I liked him to, so now it was very clear. Tonight, I would have to tell Johnny how I felt. I would have to ask him to choose: be with me, or stay safe in his job.

* * *

 **So, I had Johnny dreaming, and then I thought, 'Hey, now it's Baby's turn,' I hope you liked it. I had a lot of fun writing this, and truthfully, was a bit conflicted about posting this, but I decided to go for it. Let me know what you guys think!**


	19. Preparations

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing_.**

Chapter Eighteen

POV Penny

Preparations

* * *

"I can't believe it's tonight," Baby told me, commenting on the nearness of the Sheldrake. I couldn't believe it either. She'd made unbelievable progress the last few weeks. But then, she'd had Johnny teaching her. Today she was going to try on the dress she would preform in, the dress I should have worn. But I couldn't. Because I'd been dumb enough to sleep with Robbie, and had gotten pregnant. And Baby was performing tonight, instead of me, so I could fix it.

I stop myself, before I read too much into my mistakes. They'd happened, and there was nothing I could do about it now. Nothing except letting the Doctor take care of it. In an effort to distract myself, I fill in the details about tonight for Baby, "The Sheldrake's 20 minutes away. You'll change in the car,"

Leaving the Recreation Hall that was holding a Bridge tournament, which was below the Dance Studio, I caught Mrs. Schumacher. As she stepped out, her purse and it's contents spilled across the pavement. Mrs. Schumacher gasped in distress, and I immediately thought to help her. She was such a sweet old lady, even reminded me of my Grandma. Baby called out to her, having seen the same incident, "Mrs. Schumacher!"

"Hey, Mrs. Schumacher! Wait, we'll help you!"

Baby and I hurry over to her, and stoop to the ground to collect her belongings. The old woman laughed, "Such junk. Such junk," Mrs. Schumacher turned to me, a smile on her face. Oh, this dear sweet old lady. It was impossible not to like her. "Beni Bernstein's Dancing School, Avenue B. That's where I went," Mrs. Schumacher explained, nodding to me, "George Burns was a teacher," Behind her, Mr. Schumacher appeared. His wife took his arm, and Baby passes the handbag to her, "Oh, Thank you," She muttered.

"You're welcome," Baby answered, smiling softly as the pair made off together.

Upstairs, in the locker rooms, I have Baby try on the dress for tonight, a backless Coral halter dress that used eye-hooks to hook the straps together in the back. It was exceedingly low cut, and made from a flimsy fabric that bunched at the waist. The whole ensemble would include a silver belt, a faux diamond bracelet, some gaudy earings, a clip that held Baby's hair up, and the silver heels I'd given her when she first started learning to dance.

I circled Baby, making tiny corrections to the dress, once Baby had it on. "Nervous?" I ask her. Meekly, she nodded. I smile, reminiscing my first performance, with the Rockettes, only two years ago. "I was too, the first time I preformed. It gets easier the more often you do it." The thing was, this would probably be the only time she ever preformed.

"Okay. So they introduce us, the light comes on, Johnny does the... the..." Baby stuttered, unwilling to say exactly what it was. I smile at her. Deep down, Baby hadn't changed. She was still shy, especially about Johnny touching her like that.

"Caress?"

Baby swallowed, looking white as a sheet at the prospect, "Yeah." A few days back, I'd asked Johnny how that part of the routine went. He'd muttered something about her laughing, and had gotten real quiet about the whole ordeal.

I knew Johnny better than almost anyone, and I knew he had feelings for her even before he'd admitted it to himself. I also knew that Baby had feelings for Johnny, too. I could tell from the very beginning, just by looking at the way she shifted when he was near her, or in the same room. Under normal circumstances, I would be rooting for the two of them to get together. Baby was a great girl, and I couldn't have wished someone better for him. But relationships between staff and guest were strictly forbidden, unless you were a Waiter. Johnny would be fired if he started something with Baby and Max found out about it.

Baby's mental review of the dance pulled me back to reality, "He spins me out, then back in, and I go into frame. So I'll just keep my shoulders down, my head up, my frame locked. Stay on my toes..." She released a sigh, "What if I forget the steps?"

"Pull up, watch your frame, and remember, let _him_ lead _you,"_ I responded steadily. She had two get this- tonight had to be damn near perfect, or questions would be asked and we'd all be fired.

"I'm afraid that I'm gonna forget to spike, get dizzy and fall on my face. No, I- I don't look at my feet, keep my head up, my eyes open. Tension in my arms, my frame locked, seat pulled up..."

"Thanks, Baby," I tell her. Baby looked down at me. I'd been pretty quiet about how grateful I was she was doing this for me, but she deserved to know, "Look, I just want you to know that I don't sleep around. Whatever Robbie might have told you. And I thought that he loved me. I thought I was something special." Shy, I return to fiddling with the dress. It was always hard for me to open up to other girls about my feelings. But I wanted to let Baby in. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that."

Baby changed the subject, sensing how upset I was, "So how does it look?" She inquired. I smiled sadly. Baby looked beautiful in that dress. I knew Johnny would love it, too. But this would be the first Sheldrake I'd missed since starting work here. It was painful to think that I would miss even one, however unavoidable it was.

Baby giggled above me. She'd probably never worn anything so low cut before. Her hand reached up to pull the fabric higher on her chest. I look up at her, revealing my fear that something would go wrong. That the Surgeon didn't know what he was doing, that Baby would mess up, that we would get caught. Tears filled my eyes. Baby looked at me sympathetically. "I'm scared. I'm so scared, Baby,"

Baby pulled me into her arms, giving a comforting hug, "Don't worry," She reassured me softly. You'll be fine. You'll be fine,"

* * *

Once I was calm enough to do so, it didn't take me long to finish with her, making sure the fabric lay right, that the belt wasn't too tight, or that it wasn't so low cut her breasts would pop out mid performance. That wouldn't work out good for anyone, even Johnny, who might enjoy the view.

But finally, the dress fit properly. I grinned at my protege, "You look beautiful, Baby," My words were the honest to God truth. Baby had no idea just how beautiful she was.

The girl smiled down at me gratefully, but when she looked at her watch, it disappeared. I knew even before she said anything that it was time for her to get back to her family. "Penny, I'm sorry, but I have to go before my family gets suspicious,"

I smile one last time at her, and nod. At least she had a family she could go back to. My Mother hadn't spoken to me in years. "It's fine. The dress is ready for tonight." Quickly, Baby changed into her regular clothes. I stop her as she turned to leave, "Oh, Baby?"

She looked back at me, "Yeah?"

I smile at my friend, "Good luck,"

Baby's response both comforts me, and instilled fear. She smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "You too,"


	20. Blackmail

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Nineteen

POV Lisa

Blackmail

* * *

"Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! That's right, it's Thursday night at Kellerman's! That's Bingo night!"

Together, my family walked towards the dining hall. My Parents were blissfully unaware that Baby had been disappearing for hours at a time, and didn't even question all the so called events she was going to. Because she was the good one. Personally, I had my doubts about the excuses she'd made.

Baby didn't give a rat's ass about art classes, and Chess, and things like that. Mom and Dad believed it because they wanted to, but the fact that she was using those as excuses meant she was lying, which was even more out of character for her than if she'd actually been doing what she said. But no, I was certain that Baby was doing something else. Something she didn't want us knowing about.

As Mom and Dad enter the dining room, a handsome Waiter stopped me. He threw a smile at me, "Hey. How about a dance later?"

Coyly, I smile at him, "Could be. Who knows?" The Waiter walks down the steps to continue with whatever he had been doing before me. I turn to enter the dining room, and a hand closed the door on me. Still smiling from the Waiter, I turn to see who it is.

It was just as I thought. Baby had come to tell me she wasn't going to be able to make it. And when she did, I was going to tell our Parents that she'd been running off for hours at a time without telling them. "Lisa," She says, "You've just got to do something for me!"

My smile fell as I gave her my answer, "I don't 'Just gotta do,' anything," God, what was she going to do? Her face was made up with eyeshadow, and lipstick, things she _never_ wore. And I mean never.

Baby continued to smile, "Just tell Mommy and Daddy I've got a terrible headache, and I'm in bed, and check on me once. Okay?" Baby ran down the steps to wherever she's going, not even waiting for an answer. "Bye!" She called.

And it dawned on me what she'd really been doing when she asked me to lie for her. She was blackmailing me. I can't tell our Parents about her, not with all the lying she'd done for me. She would make certain to take me down with her.

And I was not going to let that happen.

* * *

 ***laughs deviously* I know. Short chapter. The rest is coming. This is the beginning of a character plot in this story that I have with Lisa. I wonder, what could I possibly do with her?**


	21. Performing

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty

POV Baby

Performing

* * *

"The Sheldrake hotel is proud to present... Johnny Castle and partner in... Mambo Magic," The stage light shone down on Johnny and I, nearly blinding me. Combined with the feeling that I was about to throw up, it was exceedingly unpleasant.

Johnny pulled my arm around his head as the music started. As he ran a hand down my side, he muttered, "Relax," I want to tell him that it was extremely difficult to do so with his hand on my breast. Instead, I smile as best I can, which right now looked more like a grimace than a smile, as he spun me away from him. Rapidly, I am yanked back in, and pulled into his chest.

I bury my face in his jacket, more afraid than I've ever been. What if they knew I wasn't supposed to be here? What if they laughed at me?

Johnny pushed my chin up, and looked at me, silently telling me that it was okay.

Blue eyes.

I pulled into frame, and we started to dance. Johnny spun me in a slow circle. For a few seconds, we face the crowd together, but then come back into the original rhythm. We move to the left side of the stage, where he reminded me, "Cross Body Lead," The aforementioned step was perfectly completed, and we moved on.

Together we move to the back of right stage, each of us turning once before doing a few walks, and a spin. I raise my hands to my head like Penny taught me, timing my movements to the music as I did a side basic. I pull back into frame. After a turn, an open break, and another turn, we head to the other side of the stage.

I turn, and feel something bending in a way it wasn't supposed to. I twist my hand. "Wrong way," Johnny hissed in my ear. I try to smile at his words, but it is a weak, terrified smile, so I drop it. For a few beats, Johnny and I abandon frame, and dance cheek to cheek. Next, are a few Walks with Half Turns, "Over here," Johnny muttered from his end of the stage. I skip over, nodding with the music. A few show steps earn us applause from the crowd. "Ready for the lift?" He whispered in question, as we did the basic together, hands over out heads.

"Okay," I answer. Johnny and I spin to opposite ends of the stage.

Johnny grinned at me, "Come on!" As I ran towards him, I knew I wasn't moving fast enough for this to work. I was too afraid, and I wasn't ready. Once I was in arms reach, Johnny stopped me, and for one horrifying second, we froze, like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Then, I start to improvise, taking up the time we would've spent on the lift. Catching my drift, Johnny turned me around, and we danced back to the front of the stage.

I am exhausted, but I don't stop. I can't stop. I dance only for Johnny, now. "Keep going, keep going," He encouraged, seeming to know just what kind of toll this was taking on me. He turned me once, and then we spun together. Johnny picked me up and twirled me around on stage. In the final few steps, it feels like my feet barely touch the ground.

I turn once more, coming over to the other side of him. I turn again, and he pulled me into the air, holding me a hair longer than necessary. And down, and twist, and finally, we bow, as the music stopped.

Together we stand, and bow for the crowd. Johnny took my hand, and we bowed together. I wanted to pass out right now, but I was too busy smiling. That was, until I saw the Schumachers walking right in front of the stage. The smile faded into fear faster than you could say Mambo.

My smile returns, but it doesn't reach my eyes, which still show fear of the Schumachers recognizing me. They could say something to my Parents.

Johnny, having caught my grievance, turned so we faced the other side of the crowd, to the right of us, and didn't look at the Schumachers head on. I look to them in my peripheral vision, and see that they weren't watching us.

Johnny leads me backstage, turning me one last time. That sensation of pure joy returned to my face, the crowd cheering for us. In that moment. I could only think one thing; I wanted this to last forever.

* * *

 **Well, now that that's done, I can finally get back to The Way I Feel With You. Sorry this one was so short, and I know the choreography descriptions weren't the greatest. But I also figured that Baby probably wouldn't remember a lot of the names to the steps she was learning. My pen name says that I am a ballroom geek, which is true, and most of the time _I_ have a hard time remember the names. And the ones I do remember, which is quite a surprising number for Mambo, most of you guys probably wouldn't have a clue what I was saying half the time, so I didn't feel like geeking out, or I might confuse you. Besides, none of you are in it for the long, detailed descriptions of choreography anyway.**


	22. Trouble In Paradise

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty One

POV Baby

Trouble In Paradise

* * *

Quietly, in the back seat of Johnny's car, I changed back into my own clothes. As of now, I was only wearing my underwear, and the slip I'd worn under the dress. In the front seat, Johnny scratched his arm. Carefully, I pull on my white jeans.

"Hey, Cousins. Wherever you are right now, I want you to look at the sky. Look at those stars! What a show! Here are the Drifters,"

 _Wonderful,_

 _Wonderful,_

 _Wonderful,_

Though the radio plays, the car seems filled with a near deafening silence. I get a sudden chill, like someone's watching me. When I look in the mirror at Johnny, his eyes are on the road. I must be imagining things.

Finally, he spoke up. I'd waited for the past half hour for a word out of him, and nothing. Until now, "You did good," He says, "You worked hard." I don't know what to say. I can't tell if I should compliment him, or wait for more. Instead, I say the only thing that pops into my head.

"Yeah, I saw that old couple from Kellerman's, and I thought that was it,"

Immediately, he commented, "Oh, me too, me too," Johnny stole a glance at me while he spoke. It made me want to blush, him looking at me in such a state of undress. "You know, but, by the second turn, you really had it,"

 _All you have to do is touch my hand,_

 _To show me you understand,_

"Yeah, but I didn't do the lift," I remind him, turning my shirt right side out.

"You did real good," He reassured me. Again, I feel that sensation of someone watching me. I try to pay it no mind, and put my shirt on.

 _And something happens to me,_

 _That's some kind of wonderful,_

The sensation doesn't go away, and as I tuck my shirt in, my curiosity got the better of me. I look in the mirror, to see Johnny's blue eyes staring back at me. They flit away at a moment's notice. Casually, I wonder just how long he'd been watching me. Had it been for the whole ride?

 _Any time my little world seems blue,_

 _I just have to look at you,_

 _And everything seems to be,_

 _Some kind of wonderful,_

Clumsily, I climb into the front seat. I watch Johnny as often as I can without him knowing. Once, luck isn't on my side, and he catches me looking at him as he tried to steal a glance of his own. Together, we grin shyly, playing coy. I scoot nearer to him.

 _I know I can't express,_

 _This feeling of tenderness,_

I knew ever since the lake that I was falling for Johnny. But what I didn't know was how he felt, or if something would ever happen. It was possible he liked me too, I'd caught him with enough dreamy, almost lustful expressions on his face. But there was no way for me to be certain, without admitting my feelings or asking outright.

 _There's so much I wanna say,_

 _But the right words just won't come my way,_

 _I just know, when I'm in your embrace,_

 _This world is a happy place,_

 _And something happens to me..._

I reach to the floor and pull on my white sneakers as we approached the staff parking lot. As I checked my hair in the mirror, Johnny got out and walked around the car, opening the door for me. I grabbed the hand he offered, and stood up. "Thanks," I whisper, a sound barely audible under the frogs and crickets.

Johnny could have let go of my hand at any time, but he didn't. We stood there, not letting go of the other's hand. I want so badly to tell him how I felt. I wanted to feel his lips on mine. Johnny looked down at me softly, and I thought, briefly, that maybe, he wanted it too.

All of a sudden, Billy came running across the lawn, stopping to breathe when he reaches us. "Johnny! Come on, it's Penny!"

All three of us immediately start running towards Penny's cabin, where Billy came from. In the commotion, Johnny dropped my hand, "What happened?" Johnny asked his Cousin.

"Something went wrong," Is the best he can do for an explanation. Billy was no Doctor, and wasn't likely to know exactly what had gone wrong. "She's been waiting around until you got back,"

"You didn't call an ambulance?"

Johnny rushed over to Penny while Billy explained, "She said the hospital would call the police, she made me promise," Johnny sat beside Penny, and held her hand. She was drenched in sweat, and bleeding all over the sheets. He brushed back a few strands of her blonde hair. Penny moaned. "He didn't use no ether, nothing."

"I thought you said he was a real MD?" I ask. The Doctor had to have been an idiot to do this and run off if he had his medical license.

"The guy had a dirty knife and a folding table!" Billy exclaimed, "I could hear her screaming in the hallway, and I swear to god, Johnny, I _tried_ to get in. I _tried,"_

Penny drew in a rattling breath, "It's all right. Johnny's here." He comforted her.

These people... they don't have the knowledge or equipment to deal with something like this. Penny might die if we didn't get her to a real Doctor. There was only one at Kellerman's who would help and not call the police. My Father.

I ran all the way to the cabin, so out of breath I could barely speak.

Trying not to wake Mom, I shake my Father. "Daddy,"

"What? What is it, Baby?" He asks.

"You have to come with me," I tell him, wishing I could save this conversation for later, "Right now."

"Is it Lisa?" He asked in an alarmed tone.

I'm out of breath from the run, but I managed to get out a "No," I had no time to explain this to him. We needed to get to Penny. As my Father climbed out of bed and put his shoes on, I grabbed his black medical bag, and stood to wait in the door.

I was not going to let Penny die tonight.

* * *

"Excuse me. Excuse me! Everybody clear out, please." My Father took Johnny's place at Penny's side, taking her hand. Johnny stood back and watched, albeit reluctantly. He knew there was nothing he could do to help. Penny moaned, and Dad immediately slipped into his Doctor persona. "Okay," He says. Johnny winced at Penny's pain. My Father gently touched her forehead, which was slick with sweat. Penny whimpered. "Yes, I know that hurts. We're going to take care of that." My Father released a sigh, reaching into his bag, "Who's responsible for this girl?"

"I am," Johnny answered. My Father looked at him, a disappointed expression on his face. What stung the most was that I knew Dad would believe him. While it was true that Johnny was responsible for her, as he was the closest thing to family she had, my Father would believe that meant Johnny was the Father. "Please. If she..." I touch my hand to Johnny's arm, lightly. I knew he was scared, and hurting, but he needed to stay calm for Penny.

As my Father ushered us outside, one thought circled through my mind.

What had I done?

* * *

It is a long time before I see my Father again. An hour or more. Who knows? It feels like forever. I'd made the right choice in bringing him here, even if it meant him finding out the truth about where I'd been spending my days.

Finally, Dad stepped out of Penny's room. I don't ask about her. I would find out eventually, and I didn't want the fight that I knew was coming to come any earlier than it had to.

Billy immediately jumped, and shook my Father's hand, "Doc, thanks a lot,"

Johnny extended a hand in an effort to thank him, who looked coldly at Johnny, "Doctor Houseman, I don't know how to thank you, to tell you, to-" Johnny stopped as he realized that my Father didn't want his thanks, his handshake.

Gently, Dad touched a hand to my shoulder, and turned away from Johnny. He lead me down the steps, away from Penny, and Johnny, the very place I want to be most right now.

I want to stay. I want to talk to Penny. There are a thousand things I want to do.

But with my Father watching, none of them were going to happen for a while.


	23. Good Girl

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Two

POV Jake

Good Girl

* * *

There are hands on me, frantically shaking me. Why? What did they want? Was something wrong?

I open my eyes to see Baby kneeling on the floor next to me, attempting to shake me awake, breathless from having run from wherever it is she's been. It clearly wasn't bed, that was for sure. She was still dressed in her clothes from today, and her hair was carefully styled to be less curly and more wavy. Her ears are adorned with large, jeweled earrings that are not hers, and her face painted in makeup."Daddy," She hissed breathlessly.

No time for judging now, not with how desperate she looked. "What?" I ask, "What is it, Baby?"

"You have to come with me," Baby answered, words barely audible through her heavy breaths. "Right now."

"Is it Lisa?"

"No," I hear her whisper through her labored breaths. Quietly, I sit up in bed, and slide on my shoes, then standing up and going to get a flashlight. When I turn back, Baby is silhouetted in the doorway, golden light streaming in behind her while she held my med bag.

She handed me the bag and started running, down the steps and through the woods, feet flying over any obstacles in her way. In a flash, we pass the sign for the staff quarters.

Staff quarters? What had Baby been doing with the staff?

Her feet barely touch the ground as she lead me across the bridge and up a flight of stairs to the cabin of one of one of the staff, cabin number five.

"Excuse me. Excuse me! Everybody clear out, please," I call as I enter the building. The sight inside was a shock.

A blonde woman lay in a bed, wailing in pain. Blood soaked her sheets and sweat stuck her locks to her forehead. It was Penny, the Dance Instructor. I hadn't recognized her at first, but now, I could clearly see it was her. At Penny's bedside sat the male Dance Instructor, her partner, and lover, I could only assume, judging by the way he held her hand.

I hurry over and usher the man away from her to further examine Penny. "Okay," I tell her, as she moaned. I touch a hand to her forehead to find that she was boiling hot. "Yes, I know that hurts," I assured her, "We're gonna take care of that,"

There was only one thing that could've caused this, a terminated pregnancy. And if it had been a miscarriage, Baby would have no reason to be here. This was an abortion. One I had every reason to believe Baby had funded.

I sigh, and grab a bottle of sedatives from my bag. "Who's responsible for this girl?" I question, though I had a pretty good idea of who it was. That Dance Instructor, Johnny.

"I am," Johnny answered. I look over to him in disappointment, suspicions confirmed. What kind of person did you have to be to send a girl like this to a butcher? Couldn't he have just owned up to his responsibility? "Please," He begged, "If she..." Baby stopped him, touching her hand to his arm, perhaps trying to calm him down. The expression on her face made it clear she had feelings for Johnny, but I wonder how, after seeing the things he was responsible for.

I wanted her to stop toughing him. Let him worry. He didn't deserve her comfort, her affections. But there was nothing I could do about it now. With a sigh, I reach back into my bag as the room cleared.

Time to get to work.

* * *

With a tired exhale, I step out of Penny's room, my work complete for the night. Before I could say a word, the Porter who'd gotten out bags upon first arriving here took my hand and vigorously shook it, "Doc," Billy started, "Thanks a lot,"

Behind him is the responsible party himself, Johnny. He extended a hand, "Doctor Houseman, I don't know how to thank you, to tell you, to-" Johnny stopped short as he realized that I wasn't going to take his hand. I didn't want the thanks of someone like him.

Silently, I set my hand on Baby's shoulder and lead her away from these people. Away from that man she seemed so fond of, and all this trouble that could have easily ruined her reputation if she'd been caught.

"Was that what my money paid for?" I ask bitterly as I walk her across the bridge. There was no doubt in my mind that it was, but I needed to hear it coming from her. I needed to hear Baby say that she'd lied to me in order to help those people.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," She told me, sounding slightly weepy. It is a shame that I could no longer believe her words, "I never meant to lie to you," Baby says. But I didn't think she was sorry. I think that she would make this same choice over and over again if given the opportunity, and that was going to end right now.

I shake my head. She had changed. I didn't know how, or why, but she did. The Baby before Kellerman's would've never done this. She would've never lied to me, or helped people for a cause like that. An irritating little voice itched the back of my mind, saying that it was Johnny's fault. "You're not the person I thought you were, Baby," I start, "I'm not sure who you are. But I don't want you to have anything to do with those people again."

"But can I just explain so-"

 _"Nothing!"_ I shout, stopping in the middle of the bridge to illustrate my seriousness. I turn to look at her for the first time since we left. The shadow lining her eyes enhanced her beauty, beauty I had ignored until now. But the girl wearing it is not the Baby I know. She is not my little girl. She isn't a little girl at all. "You are to have _nothing_ to do with any of them, _ever_ again!"

With a sigh, I turn away from her, and keep walking down the bridge, hoping to get back to bed while I can still get a decent night's sleep. "I won't tell your Mother about this," I inform her, while my Daughter stares aghast at my back, "Right now I'm going to bed. And take that stuff off your face, before your Mother sees you!"

I keep walking down the bridge, back to my home, trying not to think about how I didn't hear Baby's footsteps behind me.

* * *

"Is everything alright, Jake?" Marje yawned from the bed, still half asleep and ignorant of the events that just took place. Still ignorant that I had not yet heard Baby come home.

"It's alright, Marje," I assure her, climbing into bed, "Go back to sleep,"

* * *

 **So, yeah, at this point, we all know what's coming. How excited are you people for the next chapter?! Not as excited as I am, apparently, or you'd leave me more reviews! *nervous laughter***

 **Come on, people!**


	24. Everything And Nothing

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Three

POV Baby

Everything And Nothing

* * *

Hearing the music from inside Johnny's room, I am assured that he is here, rather than with Penny. Softly, I knock on his door. I hear his steps on the wood floor, and the creak of the door opening.

Johnny had told me where his cabin was the day he taught me the lift. I had just never imagined I would ever see it, much less for this purpose. When he opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see that he wasn't wearing a shirt. It was incredibly humid today, and it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before.

His expression reveals nothing. I can't tell if he's glad to see me, or if he knew why I was here, which I suspected he did. But the one thing I did know was that Johnny hadn't been expecting me to come here.

Tonight, a decision would have to be made. I was going to come clean to Johnny about how he made me feel. I was going to leave him with two choices; start something, or stop seeing each other all together. We both knew we couldn't be just friends anymore. I hoped to God he picked the first one. "Can I come in?" I ask. Johnny said nothing, but stepped aside, letting me through the door.

I look around his room. It wasn't much, but it was all unbearably him, from the boxes of records, vinyl crammed into every nook and cranny he could find, to the clothes tossed over chairs and the unmade bed. It is a far cry from what I am used to, but somehow, it is better. However, Johnny didn't think so, "I uh... I guess it's not a great room," He says, "You probably got a great room,"

"No, this- it's a _great_ room," I tell him. It really was. In some ways, it was better than my room, if only because it was his. For too long, there is silence. If I had to guess, I would say that Johnny didn't entertain here very often. The Dancer strode over to one of his chairs, picking the clothes off it, and setting them in a heap on the floor. He gestured to the chair, offering me a seat, which I took.

It was difficult for me to imagine Johnny Castle coming back here when the day was done. I knew that what he showed the guests here was a facade, the polished, charming performer was nothing more than a mask he wore. The face he showed the staff, one of fun and irresponsibility and charisma, that was closer to the real image, but still not it. I doubted any of the staff really knew him, besides Billy and Penny. I thought that who he really was was somewhere between what he showed the staff and me, most of the time. Now, he looked more bare than ever, showing what I believed to be his truest self.

But still, it was not easy to imagine Johnny coming back here when the day was done. The great, suave, charismatic Dance Teacher I knew came back to a messy cabin. I wondered how it was possible for him to at the same time as deserving more than this room, look like he belonged here, among the glass bottles and records.

Johnny turned to the record player, about to turn it off, "No, leave it on," I tell him. I liked the music, and it made the silence of the room feel less loud, somehow. Johnny looked scared right now. He had no idea what to do with me, I realize, no clue what to say. Johnny stared at the floor, avoiding my gaze. He looked like I could explode any second. Still looking terrified, he cleaned off the other chair and sat down, tense as the strings on a violin.

"I'm sorry about the way my Father treated you," I apologize. He had been out of line to judge Johnny like that without even knowing him. I knew he had just assumed that Johnny had been the Father when he said he was responsible, and that was part of why my Father had been so rude to him.

Johnny shook his head. I know he thinks I don't need to apologize, but I do. Johnny deserved better than to have people walk all over him. I was not going to contribute to such a thing if I could help it. "No, your Father was great," He insisted, "I mean... he was great. The way he took care of Penny, it was-"

"Yes, but I mean the way he was with you," I cut him off. I didn't want to hear about my Father from him, because no matter what other people thought, he wasn't perfect. I knew that now. He had proven it tonight. Penny was a patient, and it was his job to treat her nice. But apparently it didn't matter if he walked all over everyone else. Nervously, I start to explain why I was here, "It's really me it has to do with. Johnny, I came here because my Father-"

"No, the- the way he saved her- I mean, I- I could never do anything like that," Johnny insisted, "That was _something_ , then. I mean, the reason people treat me like I'm nothing is _because_ I'm nothing,"

I gape at him. How couple he possibly think so little of himself? How could I make him see, understand, how much he was worth? If only he saw himself as I did. I shake my head, denying his words. He mattered more than he knew. "That's not true! _You_ \- you're _everything,"_

Johnny looked at me, the first real time he's done so since I got here. There are a thousand things I can see in his eyes; pain, rage, and even desire. In a bitter voice, he spoke, "You don't understand the way it is. I mean for somebody like me. Last month I- I'm eating jujubes to keep alive, this month, women are stuffing _diamonds_ in my pockets! I'm balancing on shit and as quick as that I could be down there again," Johnny argued, snapping his fingers in illustration.

I shake my head. His words weren't true, but not because of a lie. Because he hadn't seen the goodness in the world. He didn't know how it could be, he had never been shown any kindness. "No, that's not the way it is," I plea, "It doesn't have to be that way,"

"I've never known anybody like you," Johnny remarked. At this point, I don't know if he meant that in a good way or a bad way. Right now it was difficult to tell. Insistently, he continued, "You look at the world and you think you can make it better. Somebody's lost, you find them, somebody's bleeding, and you-"

"Yeah, I go get my Daddy," I spit. That was all I knew how to do when there was trouble, go get Daddy. So dignified. "That's really brave, like you said,"

I feel Johnny's eyes on me, our positions reversed from a minute ago, when he said he was nothing. Now, it is he who stared at me, wondering how I could possibly say such a thing, as if it is blasphemy to do so, "That took a lot of guts to go to him!" Not for the first time, I wonder how he can be so hypocritical as to believe he had no value, to say as much, yet when I do it, it was suddenly not okay, "I mean...you are not scared of anything! I don't understand-"

 _"Me?!_ I'm scared of _everything!"_ I shout, "I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I _am,"_ Johnny sighed, standing up from his chair. I was done dancing around it. I was going to tell him right now. I take a breath, about to say the most difficult words I've ever had to say. "And... most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life," I swallow, "The way I feel when I'm with you,"

Johnny froze, still as a statue as the song changed to _Cry To Me_. He stared down at the floor, hands in his pockets. Johnny won't look at me, like he's almost afraid to. But I know he wants to. I knew that he wanted me, wanted to kiss me. I could feel the desire emanating from him. I wanted it, too.

He wouldn't start anything between us, I realized. No matter how much he wanted it, he would not. The first touch or look wouldn't come from him. Johnny would never be the one to initiate the first kiss.

It needed to come from me.

 _When your baby leaves you all alone,_

I stand, stepping towards him. "Dance with me," I demand. I needed this to happen. I needed to experience this. And most of all, I needed it to be with him.

Finally, Johnny looked me in the eyes, an almost confused expression on his face. "What, here?" Johnny asked, as if the setting were inappropriate. As if I cared more about where this happened than the fact that it would be happening with him.

 _And nobody calls you on the phone,_

"Here."

I step towards Johnny, touching my hands to his chest. My palms slip over his taut, smooth skin. One stops at his shoulder, the other curled around his neck. My fingers entwined themselves in his hair. Abruptly, Johnny took in a breath. He still wouldn't let himself touch me. But he wanted to. Oh, he wanted too. I could feel Johnny's hunger for it pulsing in his veins.

 _Oh, doncha feel like a crying?_

 _Doncha feel like crying?_

 _Well, here I am, my honey,_

 _Come on, and cry to me,_

For a while, neither of us move, simply sharing each other's breaths in the space between us. It was his turn now. His move. Johnny knew what I wanted. I had made it clear. Now, he needed to make his move. He needed to choose.

Johnny wrapped an arm around my waist. He does not kiss me, not yet. But, at last, he had made a decision.

We were going to do this.

 _When you're all alone, in your lonely room,_

 _And there's nothing, but the smell of her perfume,_

Johnny bent his knees, like he told me to do the first time we danced together. We move together, my body pressing into his. Together, we go down, and then up. The pair of us sway to the music.

It was my move, now. I lean my torso back away from him, going into my own dip. Letting him see the skin that went from my jaw down to my breasts. I ached to feel Johnny's lips on that skin. I wanted him to kiss me everywhere he could.

 _Oh, doncha feel like a crying?_

 _Doncha feel like crying?_

 _Doncha feel like a crying?_

When I am art my full height again, Johnny pressed me into another dip. I cling to his strong arms as he pulled me back up. I put my arms around his neck. I felt Johnny's hands pressing into my shoulder blades. We swayed together, from side to side. My hand fell to his waist as I stood on my tip toes, pressing my lips to the skin at the base of his neck. A current of satisfaction ran through me as I felt it becoming harder and harder for him to resist me.

 _Well, come on, come on,_

 _Cry to me,_

 _Nothing can be sadder than a glass of wine alone,_

His hands fell from my shoulders to my waist as we continued to sway. In one second. Johnny swung me back away from him. He held me up by my shoulders and my leg. I rise, the leg he'd grabbed falling to the ground. The look Johnny was giving me was clear, a challenge.

It was my move.

 _Loneliness, loneliness, such a waist of time,_

Our foreheads touch, leaning into each other. I walk in a slow circle around him. The soft skin of my lips trailed across Johnny's shoulders, kissing his skin. As I came back into his line of sight, I set a hand on the small of his back. He turned to look at me, eyes steely. He is questioning, after all I've done, all I've said, if I really want him. To prove just how much, I let my hand fall across his bottom, something I never would've even considered touching until recently.

No going back.

 _You don't ever have to walk alone, oh, you'll see,_

 _Oh, come on and take my hand, and baby won't you walk with me?_

 _Whoa yeah,_

I slide my arms around his neck. The look I give is the same one he gave me but a moment ago. A challenge. I accepted his, doing something increasingly bold. Now, it was his turn. We had made this a competition between us, I suppose, over whoever completed the most brazen move to the other without scaring them away. Though I didn't think either of us is really losing at this point. Not when both of us wanted what was going to happen.

Briefly, I wonder if it is possible to convey all I felt for Johnny in one look. His blue eyes softened as I gazed into them. He seemed to understand, regardless.

 _When you're waiting for a voice to come,_

 _In the night, when_

 _there's no one,_

 _Oh, doncha feel like crying?_

 _Doncha feel like crying?_

Johnny's rough hands slid up my back, making me shiver. He guided my arms over my head. Sensing what he is about to do, I hold them there for him. Johnny's fingers slipped down my side. I feel a tug at the hem of my shirt. I lose sight of him for a moment, as the white shirt was pulled over my head. The night air is cool, but his skin is hot against mine. I can no longer tell what it is that makes me shiver: the temperature or Johnny.

Johnny held the cloth, like it was the last shred of restraint he had. His big, strong hands pressed the cloth into my butt. In one deciding moment, he tossed it to the floor.

 _Oh, doncha feel like a cry-cry-cry-cry-cry-cry, cry-cry-cry-cry-cry-cry cryin'?_

It occurs to me then, for the first time, that I had no idea what I was doing. I was a virgin, I'd never even kissed a man before Johnny. He was the first man I'd liked, that genuinely seemed to be attracted to me and and reciprocate my feelings. I'd essentially come here with the intention of seducing him, since I knew Johnny was never going to act on his feelings if left to his own devices. I wanted this, but I was still scared. And I didn't want to be the one to back down.

When in doubt, improvise.

I stand on my tip toes, brushing my lips against his. I become pliable in his arms, allowing him to dip me twice, each a thrilling sensation in my stomach. On the last one, my hand slid up to his shoulder, feeling the muscles in his chest. The appendage continues to move until it reached the nape of his neck, netting my fingers in his dark hair. Johnny's palm slid down my shoulder. I leaned up, and gently kissed his eyelid.

 _Doncha feel like a cry-cry-cry-cry-cry-cry, cry-cry-cry-cry-cry-cry cryin'?_

There is a brief moment of silence as the record player changed songs. It now plays _She's Like The Wind_.

I finger the buttons on my pants, and slowly pull the zipper down. Taking Johnny's hands in mine, I set them on my hips.

Delicately, Johnny kissed my nose. His fingers slipped under the hem of my jeans and tugged them to the floor, cold air hitting my legs. I step out of them, putting my arms around his neck, pressing closer into him. I cannot be too close. Even a Millimeter would be too far.

Johnny closed the little distance that remained. He kissed me with such a force that my spine bent over backwards. I feel a thrill in my stomach. Our first kiss. This kiss is wonderful. It feels like the only thing I have ever wanted, yet somehow it is not enough. I wanted more, hungered to feel his lips on mine. I never wanted the kiss to end.

Sadly, it had to. I tried to hold on as long as it could, but eventually pulled away a few centimeters. I needed air. Johnny's kiss had quite literally left me breathless. My fingers curled into his hair as if to let go is to die. Johnny put his face to mine, softly kissing my skin. I feel my lips on his jaw, every part of me aching for another kiss. Johnny smiled at me, one of the first genuine smiles I'd even seen him give. A smile that told me he was going to make sure I enjoyed what was going to happen as much as he did.

I feel his thumb caress my breast. This time I knew he meant it. One of my arms fell to rest at his waist, the other remaining around his neck. In the few Centimeters between us, our breaths mingled.

Though the last few minutes have been what could be considered foreplay, it seemed to finally be hitting me. I had kissed Johnny. There was no going back. He was going to have my virginity.

And I was okay with it.

This was not a pause for breath. This was Johnny making certain I wouldn't object.

I wait in silence. I was okay with it. I wanted it.

But he moved first.

I felt his lips on mine, tender kisses against my skin. I put my arms around his neck in preparation. I didn't know what he was about to do, but I really didn't care. Johnny had taught me the lift. He could tell me anything and I would trust him. Not for lack of brains, but because I believed with all my heart he would never do anything to hurt me.

His hands grip my thighs, sliding them atop his. My legs draped over his hips. Johnny bent his knee, like he'd taught me the first time we danced together, and rocked his hips. The sensation was decidedly pleasant, and I lean away from him, to give him a view of my throat. I clutch Johnny's shoulders, and he my waist. I settle in closer to him, as he continued to gyrate.

I release his shoulders, trusting that he won't drop me. Johnny's hips pressed into mine. This was a new type of dirty dancing, one I hadn't seen even the staff preform. It was sweet to think that the first time I knew of it would be with him.

I lean away from him, giving proof that I could do a dip on my own. On my way up, my arms wrap around his neck for stability. Johnny looked up at me, and closed the distance between us. I felt his lips on my skin, soft lips kissing my neck, my breasts, my jawline. I plant a kiss on his forehead, shifting my weight so I knelt on him, my shins on his thighs. I move closer, feeling his hand on my bottom as support. Soon, however. It migrated back to my waist. I clutch his dark locks as I felt him kissing my chest again. Johnny rocked his hips, and I felt yet another soft kiss on my breast.

Johnny lifted me back onto the floor, hands on my hips. I kiss him, passion consuming me. It took forever for it to break, but to my dissatisfaction, it did. Johnny pushed me back, gyrating into my pelvis. I hold onto his shoulder with one hand, trusting completely that he wasn't going to drop me. There wasn't a doubt in my mind concerning him.

Johnny pulled me up, hips grinding into mine. My hand brushed the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He kissed me again, roughly, arms trapping me like a vice. I am his willing captive. Johnny pushed me towards the floor, my lips kissing his forehead, and his my neck. I feel my spine pressing into the wooden floorboards, and pulled him on top of me, hearing the song change yet again, a song called _I've Been Loving You Too Long_.

Johnny kissed me gently. In fear, I still. Why was I afraid of this? I had wanted it, asked for it. I trusted him. Johnny would never intentionally hurt me. I was okay with my first time being with him.

But why was I afraid?

Johnny ended our kiss, and pulled up a bit, as if sensing my fear. He looked knowingly down at me, "If you want, we can stop," Johnny says. I keep myself from shaking my head, even though that it's exactly the last thing I want. Johnny continued, "Just say the word, and I won't go any farther. I will never go farther than you want me to, Baby. We don't have to do this. I'll back off, no questions asked, if you say so. I know how you feel, Baby. It's okay."

I sit up, known that this was going to take more than just a few words to resolve. Johnny followed my cue. I took a deep, shuddering breath. I shouldn't have been afraid of this. I cared more about Johnny than I'd ever cared about anyone, trusted him more than anyone else. And I was afraid. Quietly, I start with the only thing, I knew, "I've just...I've never done this before,"

"I know," He answered softly, barely a whisper.

"I both do and don't. I want to, but I'm afraid, and it makes no sense at all-"

Johnny kissed me, stopping my words. I had almost been rambling, would have been if he hadn't stopped me. His words quiet, Johnny said, "It makes perfect sense,"

Johnny wrapped his arms around me. Tight enough to be comfortable, loose enough to not be frightening. I concentrate on my breathing, my forehead leaning into his, my hands on his chest. I could feel Johnny's heartbeat underneath my hands. _Ga-Gung. Ga-Gung._ When I speak, it is in a meek, scared little voice that doesn't seem like it's mine. "I'm scared, Johnny," I tell him. My words were an echo of what Penny had said to me, only this morning. It felt so long ago. The words had more truth than I let on. I was afraid of everything, like I said. Not just the sex. How I felt scared me, though I barely understood it. The things I wanted to do around Johnny scared me. The thought of losing him scared me most of all.

His arms closed a little tighter around me. Voice soft, he spoke, "I know you are. It's okay to be scared." It didn't feel okay to be afraid, but his voice was soothing nonetheless. "We don't have to continue," He says. "Only if you want to."

Stopping was the last thing I wanted to do, and though I was still afraid, I knew that I wanted to do this. I might not have another chance with him after tonight. I give a small nod, showing that I did indeed want to do this. "You're sure?" Johnny asked to be sure. I give another, more confident nod. "We can stop whenever you want. If you ever feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Okay?" I give yet another nod.

I felt Johnny's arms holding me. They picked me up, and gently carried me over to the bed, setting me down on the mattress to face him. Johnny's hands cupped my face, as if to tell me I was beautiful, to not be afraid. His contact is a silent encouragement, and I treasure it. My eyes shut, and I lean further into it, like it isn't enough. "Hey. You can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you," He said, a small smile taking place on his lips.

Johnny put a hand to my waist, and left it there, not wanting to push me. Pushing through my own fear, I put my hand to the back of his neck. Knowing I will need my breath, I inhale, and press my lips to his. The reaction was immediate. Johnny's hands slid across the skin of my back, touching as much as he could. The space between us is nonexistent. Involuntarily, my legs curled around Johnny in an effort to be closer to him, had that been possible.

I felt his lips on his neck as I undid his belt. Moments later, he returned the favor, effectively unclipping my bra. Soon all of our clothing lays in a pile on the floor. I kiss him passionately, holding it as long as I can. Johnny's arms curled around me, fingers holding my shoulders. My spine arched with pleasure as I felt his lips on my skin, lips kissing me from my breasts to my lips. His lips ghosted over the skin of my throat. Sweetly, I give him another kiss.

The sounds of us making love fill the night air. The sounds of skin on skin, sheets rubbing aginst us. Sounds of moans and kisses. The sensation was more wonderful than anything I'd ever experienced before. It was exhilarating. I loved every second of it.

* * *

"Baby," Came Johnny's voice, hand on my shoulder.

"Five more minutes, Johnny," I moan. It felt too early to be up. Too early for dance lessons. I push his hand away.

His voice only came again, more insistent this time. "Come on, Baby. Your family isn't going to stay in bed the whole day, so unless you want a whole lot of questions as to why you're walking in the door with messy hair and clothes from yesterday, I suggest you start moving,"

Messy hair? Yesterday? What was Johnny doing in my cabin, in my bed? And why was he naked? Was I naked?

The events of yesterday came flying back to me at break neck speed. The Sheldrake. It had passed without a hitch, save for my not doing the lift. We came back, and Penny was bleeding out, so I went to get my Dad. He'd told me to never see Johnny again, and be a good girl, so in retaliation, I'd come here.

To Johnny's cabin. And I was in his bed.

I'd told him about my feelings, demanded he dance with me, so he had. Then it turned into more. Our dance had turned into foreplay, and stripping. It had turned into kisses, and Johnny and I gyrating with one another in his cabin. And then he had made love to me.

I wasn't a virgin anymore.

I had no time to think about this now, I had to get back. The events of last night would have to be mulled over later. Begrudgingly, I climb out of the still warm bed. He was right. I didn't like it but he was right. I dress in a hurry, ready to get back. Johnny walked me to the door giving a quiet "Bye," On my way out. Excited thoughts filled my brain.

Most important was this; when could I see him again?

* * *

 **Okay, so maybe a small part of me enjoys making you people suffer from the waiting. But really, isn't that what writing is all about?**

 **Really, I wasn't planning on posting this tonight. But one of my reviewers insisted. Really, if you want more that badly, all you have to do is ask. More chapters are just a review away. ;) It doesn't hurt to let me know I'm appreciated, after all. I mean, I am holding the rest of my writing hostage...**

 **More updates soon!**

 **Unless you give me reason not to...**


	25. Weekend Traffic

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Four

POV Jake

Weekend Traffic

* * *

"Singers, Dancers, Actors, this is your lucky day!" The Comedian announced over the speakers. I groaned inwardly, tired of that man's ridiculous jokes over the course of this trip. They weren't even funny. "Auditions for the annual Kellerman's End Of The Season Talent Show are beginning in the play house!"

Quietly, I sip my coffee, trying not to think too much about Baby, and how I'd been asleep before she'd come in last night. I had no idea how long that had been. _I should never have left her alone,_ the voice in my head scolded. I should have taken her with me, no matter how mad I'd been at her last night.

"So, everyone gonna be in the show?" Neil asked from behind me, announcing his presence with the question. I had been unaware of his approach previously. In Neil's hands were a clipboard, and he was no doubt conducting some variety of business surrounding the show. Unfortunately for him, we weren't staying.

"Uh, we're leaving tomorrow," I announced awkwardly. I hadn't given any warning to this, but I simply couldn't allow us to stay at Kellerman's any longer, not with what Baby had been up to last night. Everyone immediately looked at me, shocked and confused, but it was Baby who looked angry. She knew why I wanted to go. "Miss the weekend traffic," I lied in explanation.

"But Jake, we're paid up till Sunday," Marje argued, confused as to why I would want to leave. She didn't know about last night, and she never could. Marje would be horrified if she knew Baby had funded an abortion.

"Daddy, and miss the show?!" Lisa exclaimed, as thought the very idea were preposterous. But right then, all I could see were Baby's brown eyes, that had always looked at me in adoration, now giving me an angry glare.

"I said we're leaving tomorrow," I repeated, so everyone would get the hint that this was not a topic open for discussion.

"But Daddy, I was going to sing in the show!" Lisa objected.

"It's the big event. People bring their own arrangements." Neil said, hoping to sway us into a longer stead. "You don't want to miss it. Oh, Baby, I need you for props," Neil walked off without another word, apparently having decided for us that we were staying.

"Jake, why would you want to leave early?" Marje wondered as soon as Neil was out of earshot. I sighed. It was either tell her, or agree to stay. All eyes fell on me. Baby looked relieved and upset at the same time. The look in her eyes told me she knew I was too afraid of ruining her reputation to use the information I had.

"It was just an idea," I answered dismissively. "We can stay if you want to," At this, my oldest Daughter grinned like the Cheshire Cat, so excited that she would get to sing. It occurred to me then, that I never really played all that much attention to Lisa. Maybe I should. Maybe I should get to know her better. It could prove a good punishment for Baby, me giving her the could shoulder for this. "So, Lisa, what were you planning to sing?" I smiled at her.

A grin bubbled up on Lisa's face, and she neatly folded her hands in her lap. _"I Feel Pretty,_ or _What Do The Simple Folk Do?"_ Lisa started. That was when I realized that Lisa might keep on going for a while, and that I had to check up on Penny this morning. I couldn't have Lisa around for that.

Silently, I stood up, and turned my back on our family table, walking away. However, Lisa, not to be deterred, simply followed me, while continuing to chatter away, "Or _I Feel Pretty,"_ My Daughter repeated. "What do you think, Daddy?"

I sighed. I needed to get rid of Lisa somehow, so I could see Penny. Right now, it was looking like the best way to do that would be to suggest she go audition. But what should she sing? Fortunately, at that moment, a fond memory popped up, from when Baby and Lisa were small little girls. Both of them singing a silly little song they'd made up, but it was surprisingly good, giving the age they'd been at when they'd thought it up.

"You should sing that old Hawaiian song that you and Baby made up when you were little. You used to sing it all the time," I recalled. Once, she'd even asked us for a grass skirt and wanted to make a coconut bra.

Lisa's eyebrows pulled together as she struggled to recall. "Hula Hana?" She questioned.

"Yeah," I agreed. Lisa beamed, glad to have gotten my opinion. "How about," I started with a small smile, "You go audition, and then later, you can tell me about it?"

Lisa grinned, and kissed me on the cheek. "Okay, Daddy," She smiled, and ran off to audition.

* * *

"Have you been feeling any pain, discomfort, nausea, anything like that?" I asked Penny on my follow up to her treatment last night.

She shook her head. "It hurts a little, but it's nothing like last night. I'm just tired mostly. But I really feel a lot better,"

"Well, that's good," I answered, reaching into my bag for some antibiotics. "So far, infection hasn't set in, but I want you to take these," I held up the pills, "Just to be on the safe side. Take one a day and no more."

"Dr. Houseman?" Penny asked softly.

"Mhmm?"

The Rockette looked to her feet, hands folded neatly in her lap. "Look... I know that you can't exactly be proud of Baby right now... but what she did was something that a lot of other people wouldn't have done. I'm really grateful for her. Even if you aren't, right now."

I shift my gaze to the floor. I didn't want to admit it, but Penny was right. But I didn't want to talk to her about Baby right now. So instead, I stand up, and hand the pills to Penny. "Now, don't stop taking those pills just because you feel better. Take them until they're all gone," I ordered Penny.

"Thanks," The blonde woman nodded without complaint, and set the bottle down on her nightstand. On my way out the door, I thought I saw her wave a little, and I couldn't help but smile.


	26. Regret

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Five

POV Johnny

Regret

* * *

I abandon the search for a shirt that I'd started after Baby left, and instead climb into the shower. It would only be a waste of time, because the showering needed to happen regardless of weather I'd found a shirt or not.

Anyway, I managed to shower, find clean clothes, and make it to the staff dining hall before I had figured out what to do about Baby. I grabbed coffee and an Apple, before taking a seat by myself at the table where I usually sat with Penny and Billy. The latter of the two sat down not long after I did.

"You look horrible," My Cousin remarked.

"Gee, thanks," I responded sarcastically. I took a long sip of my coffee- black and strong enough to peel paint, just the way I liked it. "Is somebody taking breakfast to Penny?" I asked him. Billy lived nearer to Penny than I did, so he would be more likely to know these things.

Billy nodded, "Maria is taking her some once she's done eating. It shouldn't be long. You see her this morning?"

I sipped my coffee. "Billy, I have been up less than half an hour. Penny is probably still asleep after last night. I'll talk to her later," I had been meaning to do that. But I had all day to see her, and right now, Penny was, true to my word, most likely still sound asleep.

Billy nodded, and turned the conversation back to his first opener, "Seriously, Johnny, it looks like you have a hangover," That was probably accurate, but in actuality, it was more the face you make when you've had sex you regret. Right now, I wasn't really regretting the sex, because I had actually enjoyed it. What I was regretting, was not so much the sex as the fact that the sex could get me fired.

"I _wish_ I had a hangover," I grumbled. Nothing makes you grumpy like knowing you slept with someone you shouldn't have.

Billy rolled his eyes. "What did you do? It was midnight when you left last night. Six hours overnight isn't a whole lot of time to screw up in," He commented.

"It was enough," I answer. Resigning myself to the fact that Billy wasn't going to give up until I told him, I answer vaguely, "I may or may not have slept with someone I shouldn't have,"

"It was Baby, wasn't it?"

I look up at him, frowning, and gesture across the room to the staff snob congregation. "Say it a little louder, would you? I think the Waiters didn't hear you," Billy snickered. "Unfortunately, yes, it was. She came over last night to apologize for her Father, and eventually she said that she had feelings for me." In the simplest terms, this was true, but Billy didn't need to know the exact details of last night. Nor did I want him to. It was between Baby and I.

"Which obviously meant you had to sleep with her." Billy rolled his eyes. I scowl at my Cousin. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't see it before. She's had a crush on you at least since the first time you danced with her, if not longer. But then, I suppose you were too busy making eyes at her," Billy teased.

"I don't make eyes," I say, "And you're one to talk. I'm surprised you even noticed what I was up to, what with you spending most of your free time drooling over Lisa. I don't think she even knows you're alive,"

I've dealt a low blow to my Cousin, and I know it. But it is not untrue. Even Billy knew it, admitting, "Fair point," As he took a bite of his bagel. "I can't believe she's with that asshole," He said spitefully, looking across the room at Robbie, the aforementioned asshole.

I pat his shoulder sympathetically. "Believe it, Billy. He's fooling her like he fooled Penny,"

Billy released a sigh. He didn't want to talk to me about Lisa. His crush was going nowhere fast, whereas mine, something had actually happened. I just had no idea what I was going to do about it. But of course, Billy being Billy, he asked this very thing, "So what are you going to do about Baby?"

I exhaled, brushing back my hair. "I have no clue," I responded to my Cousin, sitting back in my seat. "The things I did to her last night... I mean... how am I supposed to face up to her after that?" What had happened between us last night was never supposed to happen. Not with me. I wasn't supposed to do those things with guests, and I certainly wasn't supposed to do them with someone like Baby. She was as far off limits as you could get. The Daughter of Max's friend, his personal guest, who wasn't even legally an adult yet. Hell, Baby was barely even over the legal age of consent.

"Did you come on to her?" Billy asked in a hushed tone, leaning over the table in an attempt to keep our conversation quite. I took a sip of my coffee.

"No," I answered with a shake of my head. "But I didn't stop her, either. And I should have. It's against the rules. This is only going to end badly," I continued insistently. Someone would find out, and they would tell Max. Then Max would tell Doctor Houseman, and fire me. Then Doctor Houseman would take Baby home.

"You didn't start it, though." Billy insisted, hoping that I wouldn't be too negative about this. "She did. Baby acted first, and no matter how much you wanted it, nothing will change that. You didn't start it, no problem."

"Correction," I hissed, trying to keep my voice down, "Big problem. I should have stopped it. And didn't. She was a virgin! How do you think Doctor Houseman is going to react when he finds out where his precious Daughter was last night?"

"Johnny, you've been pining after Baby for weeks now." Billy said slowly. "Nobody is going to blame you for not having the strength to tell her it couldn't happen when she offered you exactly what you'd been torturing yourself over for the past few weeks." But that wasn't true. Billy knew it, too. Max, Neil, and Doctor Houseman all would blame me. In their minds, there was no way I could be more guilty, and they were the people with power. "And I know you at least tried to stop it at some point. Does any of it, her being a virgin, what her Father is going to think of this, change how you feel about her?" I was silent, and studied the table with a sharp gaze. Both of us knew that it didn't. "Look, you like Baby, right?"

That was a stupid question, and both of us knew that. You didn't sleep with someone you didn't like. But that wasn't what Billy was asking. What he really wanted to know was my feelings for her. If I was serious about what we had. "Billy, I'm crazy about her," I answered, admitting for the first time the extent of my feelings for Baby. It was the first time I'd ever said it aloud, but it was nothing if not the truth. I was falling in love with Baby, falling hard and fast. Fell, falling, fallen, it made no difference.

"Well, then talk to her!" Billy explained. "Did you talk to her this morning?"

I released a sigh. I should've talked to her. If we'd had more time, I might've done so. "No. It was kind of touch and go this morning. I woke her up and told her she needed to get going before her family found out she wasn't in her bed." I took a bite from my Apple. "We didn't really have the time to talk. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I'm going to do about her. Or even what I should do. But I suppose I have to do something, don't I?"

Billy nodded. "You do. But be careful, Johnny. She's a guest, even if she likes you. Just... don't hurt her, okay?" I nod at Billy's words. That was something we could agree on. Hurting Baby was the last thing I wanted to do.

* * *

Gently, I nock on Penny's door, and let myself in. "Hey," I smile at her.

Penny grinned at me. It was good too see her smile after such an ordeal. It was definitely a good sign that she was recovering so fast. Baby's Father had done good work. "Johnny!"

Speaking of Baby, the woman herself stood across the room, no doubt having come to visit Penny herself. Though entirely unintentional, I felt the smile slide from my face as I saw her. In an attempt to distract myself from Baby, I turn my focus to Penny, closing the door and moving next to her. "So, how're you doing?"

Penny smiled, "I'm okay,"

"Yeah?"

"Doctor Houseman says I'm gonna be fine ," She assures me. "I can still have children,"

To anyone else, this might seem like a weird thing to say. But Penny and I had known each other since we were kids. We were like Brother and Sister. I knew she wanted kids, and she knew, though I hadn't told her, that I liked Baby. So when she brought up that she could still have kids, I was happy for her. "Oh, Penny, that's great. That's really great,"

Penny looked to Baby. We'd been somewhat rude this whole conversation, acting like she wasn't even here. She asked, in a high pitched tone, "So. How'd it go last night?"

Immediately, I answer, "Good." I tried not to look at Baby as I said so, when really that was all I wanted to do. I didn't want Penny asking about last night. She's known me long enough to be able to guess my feelings for a girl. I knew she knew I liked Baby. I also knew that if she found out Baby and I slept together, I'd receive a lecture on how likely I was to get fired.

"Fine," Baby answered softly. In a girlish, almost giggly tone, she continued. "I didn't do the lift, but it was good." She looks at me like she did the day at the wig stand. Like she was reliving the moment, thinking about every second. She smiled at the secret that was only ours to share.

All of a sudden it gets very quiet, and I know that Penny had figured out Baby and I slept together. Not by my expression, but by Baby's, who was still yet unable to school her features in such a way. Penny knew. Baby's face fell, and she spoke up, announcing her exit, "Well, I guess I... I guess I'm gonna go. Bye,"

Baby watched me on her way out, big brown eyes boring into my soul. Quietly, I managed a "See you," But it is inadequate. Baby deserved so much more than that after what I'd done.

Being unable to tell her how I felt hurt only half as much as having to lie to her about it.


	27. Doctor Houseman

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Six

POV Penny

Doctor Houseman

* * *

"Now, don't stop taking those pills just because you feel better. Take them until they're all gone," Doctor Houseman said as he handed me the bottle of medication. I knew nothing about medicine, and anybody was better than who I'd had last night. Unquestionably, I take the pills.

"Thanks," I mutter weakly, stashing the bottle on my nightstand. There weren't enough ways for me to thank Doctor Houseman, or Baby for that matter. Baby had already paid for the abortion, and filled in for me despite knowing nothing about dancing. On top of all that, when I was bleeding out, she went to get her Father, a real Doctor.

Doctor Houseman walked out, leaving me to my own devices. I was doing much better than last night, though to be honest it wasn't a high threshold, and didn't need to be babysat. Even if I was temporarily bedridden. Though it seems I wasn't meant to be alone this morning, because shortly after Doctor Houseman leaves, there is a knock on my door.

My visitor let themself in. I see white Keds, a floral skirt, a white blouse, and a head of curly brown hair. Baby. "Hi," I say in greeting. My voice sounds soft and pitiful. I hated being this weak, but for now, I would just have to live with it.

"Hi," She said in return. Quietly. Baby shut the door. "You look much better," She remarked.

"You just missed your Father," I tell her. "He's such a wonderful man," Baby says nothing about the mention of her Father. Doctor Houseman had been mysteriously quiet while he was here this morning, particularly at my mentioning Baby, and how grateful I was that she'd gone to get help.

Baby had no cares for who she associated with, but her Father did. He didn't want her around us, probably more specifically Johnny than me. After he treated me, they'd probably had a fight. Baby does nothing to disprove my theories by steering the subject away from her Father. "I'm sorry," She says, "I didn't realize..."

I shake my head. "No, you couldn't have. It's okay," It hadn't occurred to me that Baby would blame herself for what happened. She agreed to help us believing she was doing the best for me. But Baby had no way of knowing that the Surgeon was a fake. It wasn't her fault. The only people at fault were Robbie and the Surgeon.

Someone knocked on the door. Both Baby and I look to see who it is, but they let themself in. "Hey," Johnny grinned.

"Johnny," I breathe. He'd just made my day. Don't get me wrong, Baby and I had become good friends. But Johnny had always been like an older Brother to me. He was always looking out for me, trying to cheer me up. I loved him like family.

For the first time since coming in, he sees Baby, and his smile faded. I knew for a fact that the both of them had massive crushes on each other, and normally, both would've looked happy at seeing each other. Instead, he looked grim, and she looked disappointed. It sparked a curiosity in me, making me wonder what had happened last night that would have them looking that upset.

As if sensing my curiosity, Johnny tried to distract me, asking, "So, how're you doing?"

I smile brightly. I would ask him later. "I'm okay."

"Yeah?"

"Doctor Houseman says I'm gonna be _fine_. I can still have children," I say. Johnny knew that someday, I wanted kids, wanted a family. To him, this was not an odd thing to be said. It was however, very odd for anyone else.

"Oh, Penny, that's great. That's really great," He told me. I look to Baby on the other side of the room. She looked very uncomfortable. I realized, that she could very easily get the wrong idea about that conversation, even though she knew we weren't a couple.

I decide to change this subject in an effort to break up the tension in the room. Most of it was between those two idiots who had no idea how the other felt. "So. How'd it go last night?"

"Good," Johnny answered concisely. It was clear he didn't want to talk about last night. In fact, he hadn't looked at Baby since he first got here.

I look to the woman herself, hoping she will give me a better answer. "Fine," Baby answered, "I didn't do the lift, but it was good."

Oh no.

I should have seen it sooner. I should have been able to tell from how they looked at each other. She was disappointed he wasn't happy to see her. He had looked upset because he was probably trying to avoid her. Johnny had tried to avoid the discussion of last night altogether, like he wanted to forget it completely, whereas she had sounded completely besotted at the mention of it, more so than ever before. Johnny had slept with her.

My idiot friend had slept with Baby.

If I had to guess, after Doctor Houseman had left, he took Baby with him. They had an argument, and she probably went to Johnny's cabin as a means of making her Father mad. She told him how she felt, one thing lead to another and...

Oh, eww! _Why_ was I thinking about this? It didn't matter how it had happened, it clearly had! I couldn't have been happier that Johnny had found someone who made him happy, but long story short, if someone found out about this, Johnny's ass was grass, and Max was the lawn mower.

Quietly, Baby speaks up. "Well, I guess I... I guess I'm gonna go. Bye,"

Baby walked to the door, watching Johnny all the way. "See you," He muttered, as she closed the door. Once she was gone, Johnny sat down nest to me. He knew what was coming, but before I can say anything, he turned the conversation back to my health. "So, he says you're gonna be fine, right?"

"Johnny, what are you doing?" I asked, cutting right to the chase. I wasn't going to let him get away with not talking about this, to Baby or to me. This was something that needed to be talked about, however little he wanted to do it.

Johnny is typically stubborn in his response, "Don't worry about Max, I'll tell him your Grandmother died, or something,"

Two could play at this game. I bring up something I know he can't avoid, "How many times have you told me 'Never get mixed up with them,'?" He had told me time and time again that dating a guest wasn't worth the risk of getting fired. And now, here Johnny was, doing the exact opposite of his own advice.

Johnny froze. When he looked at me, his eyes were icy cold. Colder than frost on steel. His eyes had always been nice for me. That blue gray color had always seemed playful to me, I had never given him reason to be this upset. I had seen his eyes turn to angry fire for Robbie, I had seen them melt for Baby. For Bungalow Bunnies his eyes had become electric with spite. But I had never seen his eyes go cold like this, and certainly not for me. And all I had to do was suggest, even if I didn't believe it, that he should stop seeing Baby.

"I know what I'm doing, Penny," He responded venomously.

"You listen to me," I say. Johnny needed to hear this. "You gotta stop it. _Now."_

Johnny sighed, his gaze softening. He looked to the floor. This time, when he spoke, his voice wasn't bitter. It was almost painful. "I can't, Penny. I care about her too much." He looked back to me.

This was good. He had admitted how he felt about her. I soften. Baby was good for Johnny, and I didn't want him to stop seeing her. I just wanted him to be careful. He was my friend, and I worried about him. I had to make sure he understood how risky this was. "She's a great girl, Johnny. Wonderful. But she's a guest. We have rules." Johnny looked back to the floor. "Baby looks at you like a school girl with a crush. She is hopelessly in love with you. Any fool can see it, Johnny."

He released a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I know."

Insistently, I continue, "If you aren't careful she's going to get her heart broken. Neither of us want that. Look, Johnny. Whatever happened between you two last night has left her completely love struck. I'm just guessing that the name Baby doesn't fit her anymore. If I'm right, and you don't talk to her soon, she's going to feel like you used her."

Johnny nodded. He knew the words as well as I did. He knew that Baby needed to know how he felt about her. He knew it all too well. When I spoke, my voice was soft. "I know you don't want her thinking that," Silently, Johnny nodded. "If she weren't a guest, I'd say fine. But as it is, you shouldn't. You could lose your job, and her heart will be broken. You're lucky no one's found out about you two."

I know I am trying his patience. What I have said is no information he didn't already have. So I try to hurry it up, and finish what I've had to say. I sighed. This was the most difficult part. "I know I can't stop you. But if you decide not to see her anymore, don't just dump her like she never meant anything to you. We both know that's a lie. Talk to her. And if you're going to leave, tell her why,"

Johnny stood up, his patience spent. "I'll see you later," He says as he leaves.

I lay there on my bed, finally alone, wondering just what he was going to do.


	28. Talking To Johnny

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Seven

POV Baby

Talking To Johnny

* * *

I wait for a long time, hoping Johnny will come out. But each moment that passed by only brought me down further. Finally, I decided that the wait wasn't worth it. If Johnny wanted to talk to me, he would have to find me on his own. I stand up from my seat on the steps.

Behind me, a screen door closed. Johnny stands there, towering over me with a scrutinous gaze, playing with the dark sunglasses he'd been wearing when I first saw him. Unintentionally, I back up until I feel the siding of the building press into my spine. He spoke in a casual tone, "Look, um... I gotta run. I've got a lesson with the Kramers in 3 minutes and they'll kill each other if I'm not there."

Unquestionably, I nod, unable to speak. I didn't know what to say. Lisa would say I was head over heels for him. But he couldn't even make the time to talk with me after last night. I say the only thing I can manage to force out of my mouth. "Well, I'm sure you've got to go." I feel a lump in my throat, and a burning behind my eyes. Telltale signs that I was going to burst into tears, unless he left, or suddenly decided he wanted to talk.

He wouldn't even looked at me. Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets. "See you," He muttered before walking away.

An involuntary impulse in me cried out, "Johnny!"

 _Please_ , I think desperately, _Tell me he wasn't using me. Tell me he feels the same._

He stopped and looked back at me. In a few seconds, I see a light grin creep onto his face. Moments later, though I try to stop it. I feel one on my face too. It seemed to be impossible for me to stay mad at this man. In my heart, I had already forgiven him.

Johnny walked back over to me, grin on his face. I want him to take my hands. I want him to lean over and kiss me. But we can't do any of that with people watching. "Meet me in my cabin in half an hour," He tells me, "I think that we should talk about last night."

I nod to his words, and smile even brighter. While Johnny went to his dance lesson, I hurried up to his cabin, my smile uncontainable. I was more excited than I'd been in a long time. And it was all because of him. Because of Johnny.

* * *

Johnny sat on the bed next to me. He'd told me to meet him here half an hour ago. Now that he was done with the Kramers, we were both here. "You wanted to talk?" I ask him.

Johnny gave a small nod. "About last night..." He started, words slow. "If you don't want to see me anymore, I'll understand. You don't have to-"

"It's fine," I say, cutting him off. Was that really what this was about? Did Johnny really thing that I wouldn't want to see him anymore? If anything I had thought it would be the other way around, but then, here I was. But there were some things I needed to sort out first. Nervousness filling me, I start to talk. "And I do want to keep seeing you, I just... I need to know how you feel. If it's just sex for you, then I can't be in this. We didn't really do much talking last night, and I just need to know how you feel about me."

"That's fair," Johnny responded. "I'll try and give you an honest answer. I just don't want to scare you away,"

Right now, with how strong my feelings for him were, that was the least of my worries. Quietly, I reassured him, "That's not going to happen."

Johnny released a sigh, almost as if the words were painful. "Okay. I really like you, Baby," He admitted. "I like you a lot. It's not just sex for me. I don't really know what I feel for you. But I know that it feels good, and I don't want to lose it. I think one day I could love you," Johnny told me, sounding slightly wistful at the thought.

I swallowed. It was a lot of information, to process, that he felt the same way I did. "Okay."

"And, how do you feel?" Johnny asked. "About me?"

I have to restrain myself from answering right away. I wait a healthy amount of time before speaking. Desperately hoping I don't sound too eager, I answer his question. "Um... I like you, too. A lot more than I should. I'm probably about where you are, feelings wise."

I didn't even need to think about Johnny's next question. "Um. This is going to sound kind of weird, but... you didn't hate it did you? The sex? You didn't think it was bad?"

I shake my head. It had been wonderful. Johnny had been a perfect gentleman, and even if it had been bad, it wasn't like I would know it. I didn't have anything else to compare it to. But I didn't want to answer that and have him think me slutty, so instead I say, "No. No, I actually really liked it. But I really don't have a whole lot of experience in that area. Or any, really, for that matter. You might have noticed. Did _you_ think it was bad?"

"No. It was good. Even for someone who doesn't have much experience. Do you regret it?"

The answer slipped from my mouth before I could even think about it, "No. Even though my Father is going to be really upset if he ever finds out. Do you?"

Johnny looked bleak, and swallowed. "No. Not even a little bit," His words confuse me, because they don't fit with his expression. But when he finished the thought, I understand. "It's just that I'm not allowed to date guests, so Max can't find out about us."

"I know," I answer. The first night I got here, I saw Johnny for the first time. He walked into one of Max's lectures, and ended up receiving one of his own. For Johnny, guests were strictly off limits.

Johnny looked confused at my answer, which is undoubtedly because I had never told him about seeing him that first night. "You do?" He asks. I nod. "How?"

Rather sheepishly, I explained eavesdropping on that conversation. "The first night I got here, I went up to the main house to look around. Max was lecturing the Waiters about how they're supposed to romance the Daughters. You walked in and... well, you know the rest,"

"How much of that did you see?" Johnny asked, face pale.

I smirk. "You knocked over some silverware and stormed off." Laughing, I continue. "If it helps, Robbie deserved it," Johnny grinned.

"So you want to try this, then?" Johnny inquired. "Being together?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I do."

"Good, because I've been dying to kiss you all day," Johnny grinned.

"I think the feeling is mutual," I answered softly, drawing closer to him. Johnny pressed his lips to mine. God help me, I was falling for him.

And I didn't even care.


	29. Secret Rendezvous

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Eight

POV Johnny

Secret Rendezvous

* * *

The evening went on at the party, and on, and on, and on. Hours passed by, what felt like hundreds of Bungalow Bunnies, and I hadn't had one dance with Baby. Not one, even though she was the only one here that I really cared about, seeing as Penny was still on bed rest. I couldn't dance with her. Doctor Houseman would recognize me, and no one knew Baby could dance, which would make Max suspicious.

Besides, I didn't want to give Neil an excuse to tell me to stay away from her. He seemed to be under the impression that he had a shot with Baby, despite the fact that she had expressed no interest whatsoever in him and that she was very taken. Not that he would know that, though. Not that anyone would know that.

The night wore on, and guests slowly trickled out the doors to their respective rooms for the night. No matter who I was dancing with, I always managed to keep a close eye on Baby. Her Mother and Sister had left somewhere around 10:00 p.m., and it hadn't escaped my notice that Dr. Houseman silently disappeared around 8:00. Even Max and Neil lost the battle against tiredness and retired to their beds, leaving Baby and I unsupervised with a handful of other guests gathered in a small crowd on the floor

Deciding that it might finally be time to dance with her, I silently walk up behind Baby and tap her shoulder. Baby turned. "Johnny," She grinned

"Would you like to dance?" I asked her smoothly, offering her my hand.

"Absolutely," Baby beamed and taking hand. I felt a rush of pleasure in knowing that I'd made her smile like that.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to you sooner," I apologize, leading her through an underarm turn. I would have, had I thought I could've gotten away with it, but I doubted it would've been possible, with Max and Neil and Baby's Father

"It's fine," Baby insisted, with a shake of her head while we completed a cross body lead. We couldn't be too flashy with our dancing, lest we draw attention to ourselves. Lord knows we didn't want that to happen. "You were working," Baby continued, "I understand. Besides, Neil and Max were watching us all evening. The only real break I got was when my Father left early tonight."

"Is he still upset?" I ask nearly immediately. Baby hadn't expressly told me what had transpired between her and her Father after they left Penny last night, but I could assume that it was nothing good, judging by his manor with her all evening and his leaving early.

Baby eyed the floor, which was answer enough. Things were still as bad as they had been after they left. The worst part was that I was to blame. I'd let Baby fund Penny's abortion, I'd taught her to dance so she could fill in. And if I hadn't done that, their relationship would be fine right now. "He hasn't spoken to me since last night," Baby answered softly. "This morning, he said he wanted to leave early."

"I'm sorry," I tell her, as we did a spot turn.

Baby shrugged as best she could while holding the frame. "He'll get over it," She said with a touch of bitterness that didn't belong there.

The longer I spent with Baby, the more I risked someone discovering us. We couldn't dance for very much longer without catching someone's attention, someone who might report us to Max. And as much as I worried about that, I couldn't seem to make myself leave her.

"You look beautiful tonight," I tell Baby in a hushed tone. She was gorgeous, in that lovely yellow dress that made her look oh, so innocent, and the pink flats she wore the night we met.

Baby blushed shyly. "Thank you," She said through a smile. It occurred to me then that that had been the first time I'd ever told her that she looked beautiful. Sure I'd thought it- more than once, in fact, regardless of the situation's appropriateness.

"I wish I could risk kissing you in front of all these people," I tell her softly. The only thing that kept me from doing that then and there was the thought that it would get me fired faster than you could say Mambo. I didn't know why I felt this pull towards her, stronger now than it had ever been. I had been able to go without kissing her fine before last night: now all of a sudden I was thinking about doing it less than twelve hours after our last one.

"Me too," Baby sighed softly, in a very resigned voice.

 _How long will this last,_ I wonder, _before one of us cracks?_ How long could we go without hand holding, and kisses? Without talking to each other in public? How long would I be content to let her sneak into my cabin at night before realizing that she shouldn't have to do that? How much time would pass before I realized that I didn't want our relationship a secret, existing only behind closed doors?

And then I realized, that it may very well be past when I get off. I hadn't worn my watch tonight, and there was no clock in the ballroom. But Baby had a watch on. I grinned at her, hoping beyond hope that it was past eleven. "What?" Baby inquired, seeing my smile, not understanding what it meant.

"Do you know what time it is?" I ask her dryly, hoping I don't sound too eager.

"It's ten after," Baby answered after a glance to her wrist. "Why?"

"Oh, it's just that I get off at eleven," I answer nonchalantly, smiling even bigger. I could've kissed her out of joy then. "Meet me outside, next to the steps," I instruct her. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Okay?"

"Okay," Baby smiled.

* * *

With only one thing in mind, I hurry down the steps and round the corner to the steep walls of the main house where Baby stood. No one would see us here at this point. Which meant we were free to do nearly anything.

The first thing I did was kiss her for all it was worth. My arms curl around her waist tightly, never wanting to let her go. Baby deepened the kiss, holding onto me just as tightly. I kiss her again, wanting this moment to last as long as possible, but before I knew it, my lungs were burning for air, and so I pull back a few inches, enough so that we can breathe. "It's been too long since I've been able to do that," I tell her quietly, through heavy breaths, my forehead leaning into hers.

"That was this morning," Baby reminded me, laughing a little.

"Too long," I decide with a tone of finality. "Are you really complaining?"

Baby thought about it, and I see a grin curl onto her face. "No," She answered. _Good,_ I thought affectionately, lowering my mouth to hers for another kiss, this one far slower and a great deal more innocent. This one was meant to last, where the other had been rushed and passionate.

"Come back with me," I ask her quietly. "No one would ever know. You could say everyone was asleep by the time you got in," I say. I want to be with her tonight, and what's more, I could see that Baby wanted it too, only...

"I can't," Baby answered, shaking her head. "Not yet anyway. Someone will notice. Who's going to believe that I was out late enough for everyone to be asleep when I got in?" She asked. "Just give me ten minutes, and I'll be there. I promise you, I will be there."


	30. For Your Precious Love

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Twenty Nine

POV Baby

For Your Precious Love

* * *

I stood at Johnny's door, holding several apprehensions about doing this. I could get caught. And what if Johnny was upset with me for not going right away? I breathed a sigh, hearing the song of choice for the moment, _Your Memory._ It wasn't as if I could leave him after I'd said I would come. And I did want to be with him tonight. So I knocked.

Johnny opened the door moments later, looking exactly like he had at the Sheldrake last night, well groomed, with that black jacket, white shirt and tie. He was so handsome in that suit. But then, even in disarray he still managed to look gorgeous. Gorgeous was not a word I usually used to describe men, but if the word fit anyone, it fit Johnny.

I take one step in, and my lips find his. Johnny let one palm rest on my shoulder, and the other at the small of my back. "I'm sorry," I tell him, once neither of us can breathe from kissing so long. "I'm sorry." I wished that things didn't have to be like this with us. I wished that we could be together in public, and that people could know. But that was impossible.

Johnny doesn't answer, not with words anyway, merely kisses me again, more insistent than the last kiss. It tells me on no uncertain terms, that what had happened was already forgiven, and it didn't matter anymore. He'd made it plenty clear that it wouldn't factor into what was going to happen in here. I felt a strange hunger in the pit of my stomach, pushing me to be more bold in my advances. I had a feeling that my second time was going to be very different from my first.

My fingers lace themselves through Johnny's locks. With no warning, Johnny lifted me from the floor and carried me over to his bed. I kiss him deeper when I land on the mattress, hoping he could see how much I wanted this. I urge him down, bodies pressing together, laying over me on the bed.

Johnny pulled away from my kiss, looking down at me with a curious expression as the song changed to _For Your Precious Love._ He fingered my hair affectionately. My chest heaved from a lack of oxygen. "Are you sure?" Johnny asked me once again. He still worried he was forcing me into this. But I couldn't be more willing.

"Absolutely," I responded with a soft smile.

His blue eyes swept over my face, looking for some sign of hesitation, but there was none. So he asked me another question, preceeced by a nervous swallow, "How far do you want me to go?"

I think for barely a second. He'd showed me a lot in the past week. He had gone out of his way to make sure last night had been pleasurable for me, since it was my first time. Now it was my turn to do that for him. I couldn't go back now, only forward. I didn't want him to limit himself for my sake, so I answer in a firm voice, "As far as you can,"

The response was immediate. Johnny's lips slammed into mine with such force that I thought it would leave a mark. I work his tie until it comes undone, slipping my shoes off. Johnny stopped kissing me only for a moment to take off his jacket. I set to work on his shirt buttons, feeling butterflies in my stomach when I saw the smooth skin and lean muscles of his chest. The shirt felt to the floor unnoticed. Seconds later I hear two thuds, which I could only assume were Johnny's shoes.

At my insistence, our positions shift so I am on top of him. With a small smirk, I stand, and turn my back to him. Slowly, Johnny tugged the zipper down, down, down, and I pull the dress over my head, throwing it to the floor, forgotten. I turn, and lean back onto Johnny, pressing my lips to his hungrily. I clutched desperately at his dark locks. I needed him, needed to have him closer to me, but that wasn't possible. Johnny's hands slide across my back lovingly until they come to my bra clasp, which is undone in barely a second. He tugged the white garment off my chest, and tossed it away

I take a breath between each kiss, to keep from suffocating. My fingers start to work at undoing his belt clasp. Johnny's lips trailed across my breasts, kissing every bit of skin he found. My head tipped back, letting him kiss my collarbone. His fingertips brushed across my ribcage, thumbs caressing the sides of my breasts. I couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful that felt. I unbuttoned his pants, and tugged at the zipper. Johnny trailed butterfly kisses along my jawline as I took his pants off.

He urged my slip off my hips, and it bellowed to the floor, leaving me naked. Johnny kissed me deeply again, pulling me back on top of him, and in moments, I became lost in my own pleasure.

* * *

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes the next morning was Johnny's face, and I couldn't help but smile involuntarily. God, I was so smitten with him. "Morning," I softly greet him. Johnny smiled back, and I pecked his lips.

With a bit of amusement, I study Johnny's hair, running my fingers through it. That was... some very bad bedhead. It was sticking up in the back, as if threatening to tangle, and in the front it was mussed up from when we had sex. "Has anyone ever told you your bedhead is horrible?" I asked dryly.

"I think you'd be the first," Johnny chuckled, hand resting between my shoulder blades. A clap of thunder sounded outside, which was when I realized that it was raining, and not just raining, pouring. It pelted down on the roof in sheets. We were lucky that is wasn't windy, or it might be raining in through the windows of Johnny's cabin

"Your bedhead is horrible," I deadpan.

"Well, so is yours," Johnny argued, tightening his arms around me, bringing us closer.

"My hair is curly," I state in defense. "It always looks like that." I covertly glance at my watch. Soon, my Parents would be getting up, and they would expect me shortly after, though they wouldn't disturb us on account of Lisa. She would be in bed for more than an hour yet, but I couldn't afford to come in when she was only lightly asleep. "I suppose I have to go now," I said with a sigh.

Johnny looked at me, and said, "You could stay here. But that would mean your Parents finding out about us." For a moment, it is almost tempting. It seemed like such a small price to pay for a few more minutes in bed with him. But I couldn't, so, instead, I gave a heavy sigh and rolled out of bed, scavenging for clothes from last night. Johnny followed suit, once it became clear that I couldn't be persuaded.

"I believe these are yours," Johnny said from behind me, holding out my bra and slip.

"Thanks," I said somewhat bashfully. I pull them on one by one, and quickly put my dress on once I find it, but have trouble when I find that I wasn't quite able to get the zipper on my own. "Could you...?" Without a word, Johnny walked over and pulled the zipper up the rest of the way. I guess there wasn't anything keeping me here now, I thought to myself. Might as well go, I decided, heading for the door. I wasn't relishing the thought of having to walk back in this rain.

"Hold on," Johnny stopped me last second. He pulled a navy blue umbrella with a silver handle from where it leant against the wall. "Here," He said as he handed it to me. The metal was cold against my skin.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. I wouldn't have to get very wet now to walk back. And then it occurred to me that I might not have opportunity to give it back to him for a while. "But what I do with it when I get back?"

"Hide it under the bed." Johnny suggested with a shrug, smirking ever so slightly. "This way you have to come back," He grinned.

"Cheat," I laugh. As if I would ever just stop seeing him with no warning. I could never do that to Johnny. Johnny leant down, and gently kissed my lips. I couldn't help but smile even as I walked out the door.


	31. Beige Iridescent Lipstick

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty

POV Lisa

Beige Iridescent Lipstick

* * *

"It's rainy day game time! Pin a tail on the guest, win ten boxes of Kleenex, or a billy goat! Sing around the piano all your favorite showtunes!"

I stare in the mirror, at the disaster that was my hair. Damn this humidity. It had turned my beautiful, glossy black hair into something with frizz worse than Baby's curls. I could feel the smugness emanating from her at much situation. "I'm a frizzball. A frizzball,"

"No, no, dear. It's not that bad. You still look pretty," My Mother insisted, as she folded our laundry into neat, organized stacks.

"God, I am so sick of this rain. Remind me not to take my honeymoon at Niagara Falls," I groaned. It had rained at every other day while we were at Kellerman's. It had fast gotten old. And with rain, inevitably came the humidity, which led to frizzball. I knew I should've brought a straightening iron.

"So, you go to Acapulco. It'll be fine," Mom assured me.

I groan. I'd been looking for my beige iridescent lipstick all day, and much to my annoyance, I found it wasn't in this door. The exact door I'd left it in. "Where is my beige iridescent lipstick? I know I put it in this drawer!"

Behind me, I hear Baby standing up, and putting on her raincoat. I turn around, to see her walking towards the door. Running off again. I had no idea where Baby spent her days. But I was determined to find out. "Baby, where are you going in this weather?" Mom asked, looking up from her work.

"Um... they're having Charades in the west lobby," She answered, though I knew that was far from the truth. She was lying through her teeth, something that she never would've done a few weeks ago.

Smirking, I remind her that I knew she was up to something. "Ooh. Quite the little joiner, aren't we?"

Baby says nothing as she walked out the door. It takes me a second to realize that Dad was watching her, much like I was. And then it took me another second to realize why.

He knew she was lying, too.

Dad sighed, and picked up his book. He opened the door and stepped outside, the eaves sheltering him from the rain. Shortly after, Mom stepped out to distribute our laundry, leaving me alone to search for my missing lipstick.

Bending down, I look under my bed, and found nothing but a mismatched sock. I glanced across the aisle between the beds, under Baby's bed. A gold glint shone in the darkness. I reach under and pull it out. I had put it in that drawer not long after we got here, and hadn't used it since. What would it be doing under Baby's bed? I pull off the cap, to find that it had been used. Why would Baby use lipstick?

I look further under her bed, seeing another object reflecting light. I reach under and pull it out, curious if she'd stashed away any more of my makeup. But, alas, it was not makeup. It was a navy blue umbrella, the light had bounced off the steel topper. More disturbing, was the fact that the umbrella wasn't ours.

It couldn't have been left by another family. Max said he'd saved the best cabin for us, and he'd asssured us that the Maids were top notch. So where did Baby get an umbrella that wasn't hers?

Makeup, rain, umbrellas, lying about where she was going, running off at odd hours. And more importantly, the windows. Baby and I slept with the windows open. When I woke up, she was always in the shower.

Baby had been meeting someone. She'd been sneaking out at night, using my makeup. The umbrella was from whoever she'd been with. Someone she didn't want Mom and Dad knowing about.

But of course, that begged the question, who?

* * *

 **Really, who else could I have done this chapter from?**

 **There's more coming with my Lisa arc! She's not as dumb as she looks. What do you guys think she's going to do?**


	32. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty One

POV Baby

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

* * *

Hoping for an answer, I knock on Johnny's door. He was probably home, with it being raining at all, but some of the guests here were just unpredictable. For all I knew, he could be working on something in the studio. But I had come here with only one thing on my mind. It had been far too long since I'd seen him.

The door creaked open to reveal Johnny, looking surprised to see me. Wordlessly, I pull him into a kiss, gripping the lapels of his shirt. I cling to him, burning with a fierce hunger to do things only he had taught me.

I pull a ways, sucking in a breath of the warm air between us. Johnny pulled me inside and closed the door. He pushed my raincoat from my shoulders. "I don't have long," I mutter, pressing another kiss to his lips. Johnny moaned at the pressure of my lips on his. I pull his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor. "My family was being mind numbingly boring," I kiss him again. Johnny tugged the hem of my shirt, which soon lays abandoned on the floor with his shirt. "I couldn't stand it," I say, giving him yet another kiss. "So I left."

Johnny pressed his lips to the soft skin on my neck, kissing every inch. I fingered his belt, undoing it. "What did you tell them?" He asks. I slip my arms around my neck.

Coyly, I grin at my answer. "That I was going to do Charades,"

"Charades. Is that my new nickname?" Johnny asks jokingly. With a gentle smile, I close the space between us, and my bra fell to the floor.

* * *

I listened to the pounding of the rain again the roof. So many sounds to listen to. The rain, the music, a soft rendition of _Kiss Me Goodbye_ , and Johnny's heartbeat. His heartbeat was my favorite. Just the sound made me feel safe. But the rain was what I would remember most.

100 years from now, when I thought about the rain, I would remember being seventeen, lying warm and safe in Johnny Castle's arms. I would remember the feel of his skin, and the sheets, how content I was to spend my time with him. And I would remember the music, and his deep voice. I would remember his heartbeat, and blue eyes.

I sighed as I lay against his chest, Johnny's hand tracing up and down my spine. I could never remember being this happy before. "I'll never forget the rain," I tell him.

"Never?" He inquired. "Not even when you're 99 years old?"

"Never," I answer. Next, I say what I think are the most idiotic words a person has ever said in a time like this, "You're a good teacher,"

A fit of giggles burst from my stomach. _"What?"_ He laughs. Johnny pulled his head back to face me properly, a slightly alarmed, slightly confused and amused expression crossing his handsome face. I giggled.

I knew what he thought I meant, which wasn't what I really meant. He was good at both, but in this case, I was referring to the first thing he had taught me. "I mean dancing,"

"Oh..." Johnny laughed, rolling his eyes a bit. "You know it's nice. It's like, when people don't think that they can do something, and... and I show them, and... they can?"

"Mhmm,"

"I don't know. It's like something goes from me to them, and back again. It's like... personal, or something," He says. I don't really understand the point of his words, but I think that is the beauty of them. That here, conversation doesn't need a point, it can just be. Here we can talk about the most ridiculous things in the world, and no one will think us fools.

There is a moment of silence as the song on the record changed to _Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?_ Johnny looked at me. I knew that soon, I would have to go. I always hated having to leave him. But my Parents didn't know about us. They couldn't know. They would think he was using me for sex, which wasn't true. Thinking this made me want to know just how many others there had been, before me. I adjust my position to be further on top of him, and lean my head on my elbow. "Have you had many women?

"What?" Johnny laughed. It is an alarmed laughter, like he is afraid of my question.

"Have you _had_ many women?" I repeat.

"Baby, come on," Johnny responded in his deep voice. Those words meant he didn't want me to know, which meant he was afraid of what I would think of him if I did. I should've realized then that that meant the answer was something I wouldn't like.

Persisting, I say, "Tell me, I want to know,"

"No, no," He esponded, almost laughingly, nonchalantly. It is not an answer so much as a plea telling me that I _really_ didn't want to know. He is still avoiding the question. Johnny climbed out from the sheets, and put on his pants. Thunder boomed outside.

Johnny turned back to face me, expression grim. "Well, you gotta understand what it's like, Baby. You come from the streets, and suddenly you're up here, and these women, they are throwing themselves at you, and they smell so good," I just sit and listen to Johnny, though I don't like where this is going. I had asked. And he told me that I didn't want to know. After a breath, Johnny continued, "And they really take care of themselves. I mean, I never knew women could be like that, you know? And they're so rich, they're so goddamn rich, you think they must know about everything."

Johnny bent down and picked up his shirt, roughly putting it on. "And they're slipping their room keys in my hands, two and three times a day, different women. So here I think I'm scoring big, right? And for a while, you think, hey, they wouldn't be doing this, if they didn't care about me, right?"

I look around the room, unable to look at him. I remember what he'd said the night of the Sheldrake. He had women shoving diamonds in his pockets. This hurt, but I still couldn't help but have feelings for him. This did not change how I felt about Johnny. It made me wish that I had never asked. I didn't understand how I could still want this with him after he'd admitted something like this. "That- that's alright. I understand, you were just using them, that's all,"

At my response, Johnny shook his head. "No, no. That's not it." Johnny sat down on the bed. In this moment, he looked almost as vulnerable as the night I came to see him after the Sheldrake. "That's the thing, Baby, see it- it wasn't like that. They were using me,"

He could so very easily be lying to me. But then I thought about how he'd said it, that for a while, he'd thought he was scoring big. For a while. He hadn't asked to sleep with them, they had wanted it. It is difficult to believe that once, Johnny was just as naive as I was.

But he had been. We all were at one point. This would explain the scorn with which he treated the guests. The Bungalow Bunnies had hurt Johnny, and he had learned from his mistakes. He had learned that all they wanted was sex, even if they acted like they cared.

Johnny was not perfect, but I loved him all the more for it. I loved his flaws, loved that he wanted to be better for me. He was not perfect, but he was mine.

I sit up, and put an arm around Johnny's neck, letting the sheet fall from my breasts. Gently, I kiss him. He kissed back hungrily, and I felt his hands pressing into the skin of my back. Johnny pushed me into the mattress, kissing me roughly.

Johnny pulled away, a look of confusion on his face. "What's you're real name, Baby?" He asks.

My real name. So few people outside my family knew it, and I hated being called by it. My Parents only used it when I was in trouble, a rare occurrence, and when I was little, Lisa used to call me by it to annoy me. But no one had actually called me by my real name in years. And I certainly didn't want Johnny to call me by it. That name made me sound like a stuffy old lady. No matter what happened to our relationship when I left Kellerman's, I never wanted him to stop thinking of me as Baby. It wasn't a nickname with Johnny, it was a term of endearment. Something whispered from one partner to another as they made love in the darkness of a hot Summer night.

"Frances," I answer, and then, in a fit of giggles, explain, "For the first woman in the cabinet,"

"Frances," Johnny laughed, looking down at me with a loving expression in his eyes. "That's a- that's a real grown up name," He decided.

Gently, Johnny kisses me again, and I know, I am a hair a way from being completely in love with him.


	33. Daddy's Girl

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Two

POV Lisa

Daddy's Girl

* * *

The Summer breeze drifted through the window, cooling the warm room. Tonight, I was going to figure out where Baby had been going. I had already decided to go all the way with Robbie, and I was going to use that information to find out who she was with. Information for information.

She had to have been with someone. Why else would I have found my lipstick under her bed, along with an umbrella that wasn't hers? Baby knew most of my secrets. It was time I knew hers. "I've decided to go all the way with Robbie," I tell her, waiting for a response. There would be one. That was certain.

There was a soft rustling of Baby moving against her sheets. She lifted her head to look at me. "Oh, Lisa, no. Not with someone like him,"

Drat. That wasn't what I'd been hoping for. Knowing it would drive her mad, I say something wicked. "Do you think if we came back here for our tenth anniversary, it would be free?" I giggle.

Desperately, she tries to convince me not to do it. "It's- it's just wrong this way. It should be with someone..." I hold on to her every word, hoping, knowing, that she was a breath away from telling me who she was with. "It should be with someone that..." Baby seems to struggle to say the words, but I know they're in her. Finally, she spat it out. "That you sort of love,"

One question that pops into my head is 'How can you sort of love someone?' It wasn't what I wanted. I know that if I try anymore tonight, she will figure out what I'm trying to do. So instead, I say exactly what she would expect me to say, something I knew wasn't true. I wasn't a good person. I wanted to sleep with Robbie, even though I didn't love him. Though I did really like him, at this point my sexual interest was more so that I wanted my virginity gone than that I wanted him to have it.

"Oh, come on," I say. "You don't care about me. You wouldn't care if I humped the _entire army._ As long as they were on the right side of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. What you care about, is that you're not _'Daddy's girl'_ anymore. He listens when _I_ talk now. And you hate that."

I turn away from Baby, carefully folding my hands under my head. She'd kept her secret a night longer. But that only meant one thing; I'd have to try again tomorrow.


	34. In Love

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Three

POV Johnny

In Love

* * *

I walk down one of the wooded pathways at Kellerman's. It was a hobby of mine. A way to pass the time when I wasn't dancing. I hadn't talked to Baby since that day in the rain, when she'd come over to play 'Charades'. I'd seen her around at the dancing in the evening, but I hadn't been able to dance with her, much less talk with her.

I round a tree, only to walk straight into a person, more specifically Baby. She wore her usual white Keds, and blue jean shorts. Baby had on a white button down shirt, that was knotted just below her breasts, exposing her midriff. I couldn't tell if she was wearing a bra under that shirt, but I was dying to find out. "Hey," I laugh. Baby wasn't the type to get distracted easily. Something that to have really thrown her for a loop to run into me like that. "Are you okay? You don't normally run into people unless something is bothering you,"

Baby shook her head, and answered in a distracted tone. "No, I'm fine. It's just... Lisa's being Lisa,"

Uh oh. Baby's Sister was a prick. Robbie was fooling her into believing him so good guy, and from what I could gather, she wasn't that nice to Baby, either. "What did she do now?"

Baby sighed. "Well, _now,_ she's decided that she's going to sleep with Robbie." I roll my eyes. How on Earth did Robbie fool people like that? Was Lisa that easy? In an annoyed tone, Baby explained her predicament further. "And when I tried to talk her out of it..."

"She bit your head off,"

"Exactly," Baby sighed. It was clear, she wasn't happy with her sister right now. Dryly, I wonder if she ever had been. "But then, she's not going to listen to me, is she? Because what do I know about it?"

I give a bittersweet smile. Baby knew a whole lot more than Lisa thought she did. More than Lisa knew, that was for sure. It would do Lisa good to take Baby's advice before Robbie really hurt her. She sighed yet again. "I'm sorry, I couldn't make it last night. She wouldn't fall asleep," Baby said, referring to her sister.

"That's okay," I answer. Baby didn't need to feel sorry. It was a small misunderstanding, and I didn't want her to worry about something that hadn't been her fault. "It's not your fault. Besides, we already met earlier that day," I say. Baby giggled at my reference to our activities. It is a sweet sound, but so incompletely her, and it makes me smile nonetheless.

I look around all over. It wasn't safe for us to be out in the open like this. Anyone could see us, recognize me. They could report me, and I would lose my job. In a moment of daring, I gather my courage, and steal a kiss. She responded to my actions, pressing closer to me. I pull away, and take her hand in mine. "Come on," I tell her. I wanted to go somewhere where we didn't have to worry about being spotted. Somewhere we could be alone. The dance studio would do fine. We hadn't danced, really danced, in what felt like forever.

"Where are we going?" She laughed.

I smirk at Baby. "Well, you're my girl, so I figured I'd take you dancing,"

"Good thing you happen to be a Dance Instructor," Baby rolled her eyes.

Sparingly, I turn around and kiss Baby again. It is quick, and stolen, and leaves both parties wanting more. "Come on," I tell her, excitement filling me.

There was no question about it any more.

I was in love with Baby Houseman.


	35. The Cha-Cha

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Four

POV Baby

The Cha-Cha

* * *

"2, 3, cha-cha-cha- _Hey!"_ I shout, at the sensation of Johnny's hand slipping down to my butt. What a hypocrite! He spends weeks yelling at me for such things, and now that we were a couple, it was okay? I don't think so. "My frame, where's my pleasing arc?"

Johnny leaned foreword, attempting to kiss me. Gleefully, I tease him, "Spaghetti arms! Would you give me some tension, Please?" Johnny growled at me. It was a lover's growl. Not a warning. A growl of desire and passion and lust. He pulled me close to him. I felt his lips all over me, on my belly, my neck and shoulders, and the skin exposed on my chest. "You're invading my dance space," I say, pushing him away from me. My words mock his earlier lessons, but it was too much fun to care. Johnny moved to grab me while I spoke. I gesture in front of me, "This is my dance space," I gesture in front of him, " _That's_ yours. Let's Cha-Cha,"

Johnny nodded politely as we started to dance again. He quickly dismissed what I had said, and resumed kissing my chest. "Don't look down," I tease. I point to my eyes. "Look right here,"

Gracefully, I Cha-Cha away from Johnny. "Sylvia?" His voice called from across the room.

I turn to see him laying in a provocative position on the floor. "Yes, Mickey?"

"How you call your loverboy?"

As I disappear behind the room divider, I answer, "Come here loverboy,"

"And if he doesn't answer?" Johnny asked, moving from his side to his knees.

"Oh, loverboy,"

Still on his hands and knees, Johnny asked again, "And if he _still_ doesn't answer?"

I fall to my knees and crawl over to Johnny, whose dark clothes contrasted deeply with the white tile. "I simply say, 'Baby, oh, baby," I stopped with Johnny halfway through this room. He rose to match my height. "My _sweet_ baby. You're the one,'"

Johnny's hands slip over my hips. mouth pressing lips to my skin. I touch his jaw, holding on as we rose together. "Baby, oh, baby,"

"Johnny!" A voice called from the stairway. We spring apart.

"Yeah?" Johnny responded, hurrying over to the record player. If Neil caught us together, it wouldn't be good. We would be screwed. It would be the end of our secret relationship. Suffice it to say, we weren't going to let that happen.

 _My sweet baby,_

 _You're the one,_

"Baby, you're taking dance lessons?" Neil asked. I nod at his words, while continuing to do Cha-Cha steps. "I could teach you, kid," Neil suggested. The thought was laughable, not lessened by his doing a few dance steps.

Johnny cut the record, and the smile fell from Neil's face. Johnny and I were well aware that Neil had been attempting to flirt with me ever since I got here. And while Neil didn't know about us, and we couldn't really stop him, it still bothered Johnny to see Neil do it. Especially right in front of him.

Neil walked over towards Johnny purposefully. Johnny hated Neil, and no doubt wanted this over with as soon as possible. Finally he spoke, "Uh. Johnny, my Grandfather put me in charge of the final show. I want to talk to you about the last dance?" Johnny gave a nod, but said nothing. Neil continued in a sly voice, one that, had he used on me, would've made me very uncomfortable. "I'd like to uh... shake things up a bit,"

"Yeah?"

"You know, move with the times?"

I could hear the excitement in Johnny's voice. He'd been wanting something like this to happen for a while now. "Yeah, I've got a lot of ideas! I've been working with the staff kids on this like cross between this Cuban rhythm, and the- and the soul dancing," He adds, "Like those-" Skilfully, Johnny demonstrated a step.

Neil stopped Johnny before his hopes could get too high. Like I knew he would. Johnny deserved more than anyone to have his opinions heard. But Neil didn't care. "Woah, boy, it's way over your head here. Now I thought, you always do _the Mambo_. Huh? Now why not dance this year's _final_ dance," Neil looked to me with a sly smirk. "To _the Pachenga."_

"Right." Johnny answered in a bitter voice. I didn't know what the Pachenga was, but judging by Johnny's tone, it wasn't anything good.

"Well, you're free to do the same tired number as last year if you _want_ , but uh... _next_ year, we'll find another dance person who'll be only _too_ happy to-"

"Sure, Neil," Johnny spat, "No problem. We'll end the season with the Pachanga. _Great_ idea."

For a moment, I don't believe it. I couldn't believe that Johnny had given in to the likes of Neil. It couldn't be that hard to tell Neil what he thought should be done. He shouldn't have let Neil talk to him like that. Johnny wouldn't have taken that from anyone else. Not from me, Penny, Billy, or even Vivian Pressman.

Neil walked over to me. Cruelly, he says something that he knows Johnny can hear, "Sometimes he's hard to talk to, but the ladies seem to like him," I bite back the words that want to leave my mouth. I want to defend Johnny with all my heart. But I can't, because Neil can't know about us. He can't even suspect. "See that he gives you the full half hour you're paying for, kid,"

I hated Neil. He came in here, and flirted with me. Then, he was so cruel to Johnny, and made a point to insult him. And I couldn't even defend him. Then he assumed that Johnny would cut corners, or people would only be around him if they were paying for dance lessons. I hated Neil. But thankfully, he left, leaving Johnny and I alone in the dance studio.

Behind me, I hear Johnny slam the record player shut.

* * *

"That little wimp! He wouldn't know a new idea if it hit him in the Pachanga! If he wanted some new ideas, I could've _told_ him some new ideas," Johnny railed as we walked through the woods. I knew from the moment the record player shut that Johnny was going to blow up. He knew it too. And so we were here, because that didn't need to happen in the dance studio.

"Well, why did you let him talk to you that way?" I ask. He didn't need to let Neil go without him hearing Johnny's opinion. He could've told him.

"What do you mean, fight the bossman?" Johnny asked in disbelief, as if the idea was preposterous.

"Yeah, tell him your ideas," I suggest excitedly. "He's a person, like everyone else, I'm sure he'd think they're _great,"_

Johnny will not have it. He refused to believe that maybe someone out there wanted to hear him. "Look, I know these people, Baby," He says. "They are _rich_ , and they're _mean_. They won't listen to me,"

"Well then why not fight harder, _make_ them listen?"

Johnny's answer is in a bitter tone, like the rest of this conversation. The voice he uses is like the one he used on the night I found Penny. A voice that was meant to say that I had it all wrong. Johnny answered, "Because I _need_ this goddamn job lined up for next Summer. My Dad calls me today, he says, with good news, you know, he says 'Uncle Paul can finally get you into a Union,'"

I know just by his voice that it was nothing good. But I ask anyway. "Oh, what- what Union?"

Johnny stopped, and crossed his arms. He frowned down at me. "Housepainters And Plasterers, Local Number 179, at your service,"

I touch his shoulder. I would never know what that was like, to be told by a family member that all you were good for was grunt work. One of the many differences between Johnny and I. He was always going to have to fight for respect. But I would probably never have to. Johnny pulled away from my touch, something he'd never done before. Not even once.

Down the hill, there is a noise. I look, and see Lisa walking with Robbie and my Father. They cannot see us. Desperately, I pull Johnny down, hoping it stays that way. Lisa says, "You know, I've been thinking a lot about the domino theory. Now, when Vietnam falls, is China next?" My Father put an arm around Robbie's shoulder as the trio strolled along together. The moment passes as quickly as it came.

Johnny wears a cold smirk. "I don't think they saw us," I say. Wordlessly, Johnny stands. I follow, bracing for his next words, which would be nothing good.

"Fight harder, huh?" Johnny asked, voice cold. "I don't see you fighting so hard, Baby. I don't see you running up to Daddy, telling him I'm your guy," He spat.

"Look, I will. I... with my Father, it's complicated. I _will_ tell him, I-"

"I don't believe you, Baby," Johnny shouted. He sounds angry. But that is not it. He is more hurt than anything. His expression is one of pain. Which was when I understood, for him, this was all too similar to what the Bungalow Bunnies had done to him. They had made him think they cared, and refused to take any real action towards a real relationship. My chest ached at the thought that he would ever feel that way because of me. Johnny pulled his pained, blue eyes from my face. "I don't think that you ever had any intention of telling him. Ever."

His words hurt more than any injury. More than my Father's cold shoulder. This is a pain worse than any I have ever felt before.

Johnny disappeared into the woods, not even giving me the chance to explain.


	36. Dance Lessons?

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Five

POV Neil

Dance Lessons?

* * *

 _Baby, Oh, Baby,_

A soothing female's voice came from upstairs, singing the last few lyrics of _Love Is Strange_ , confirming that someone was there, or at least had been very recently. "Johnny!" I call upstairs into the dance studio. God, that man was hard to find. I'd been all over Kellerman's chasing after him, his cabin, the ballroom, inquiring with Penny and his Cousin. The Dance Studio had been my last resort.

When I rounded the corner, it was as if time slowed to a crawl.

All of a sudden, I could see everything that was going on in that room, reflected right to me by way of the mirror wall. Johnny and Baby were both in the studio, swaying gently to the music. Baby was bent over backwards, Johnny's arms tightly wrapped around her waist. Her hands clutched his jawline, Johnny's face pressing into her breasts.

They rose more and more with each beat, appearing to not have heard me the first time. Johnny lifted his head, nearing Baby even more. Baby tipped her head up eagerly, like he was about to kiss her.

Oh, my God, he was about to kiss her.

"Johnny!" I shouted for the second time, hoping it would stop the events before me.

"Yeah?" Johnny responded, as he strode away from Baby with considerable speed. Were they a couple? Why would Baby like someone like Johnny? They weren't anything alike. Maybe I could...

No, I realized. I couldn't. Johnny took in a lot of business, my Grandfather wouldn't fire him just like that. Besides, what would I say to him? _Hey, Gramps, I saw Johnny dancing with Baby in the studio. Wanna fire him for me?_ He knew I liked Baby, so any claim involving her would make him skeptical, and besides, like it or not, what I had been been dancing. Not what I, or most people considered dancing. What the staff considered dancing. And I hadn't seen him actually kiss her.

 _My sweet baby,_

 _You're the one,_

While one half of the duo busied himself with the sizeable record collection sitting in near the phonograph, the other half stood in front of the mirror, holding a frame while practicing an innocent Cha-Cha that was nothing like the scene that had been going on moments before. "Baby, you're taking dance lessons?" I question.

Baby nodded, and an ember of pain settled in my throat. I had liked her. Had thought she liked me too. We had so much in common... there were so many things I could've offered her. And she had turned me away. For what?

For that damned Dance Instructor. For a 6 foot mass of sheer muscle, grace, and charm. For a summer fling. "I could teach you, kid," I say, outfitting my face with a fake smile, and performing a few dance steps. Carefully, I look over her attire. She'd never tied up her shirt for me.

Johnny sharply cut the record behind me. He didn't say anything- he didn't have to. I could easily see by the tension in the way he stood what that gesture had meant. _Get. Away. From. My. Girl._

My, my. A little protective, aren't we?

Dropping the act, I stride over to the record player, ready to talk business. "Uh. Johnny, my Grandfather put me in charge of the final show. I want to talk to you about the last dance?" The Dance Instructor nodded, but didn't say a word. "I'd like to uh... shake things up a bit,"

He straightened from his work with the records. "Yeah?" Johnny asked, excitement building

"You know, move with the times?" I questioned.

Johnny's face broke into a grin. "Yeah, I've got a lot of ideas!" He exclaimed, "I've been working with the staff kids on this like cross between this Cuban rhythm, and the- and the Soul dancing," Johnny illustrated enthusiasticaly. "Like those-" The Dancer threw in a step for good measure, but his plans weren't going to go anywhere today, especially after what I had just seen. I had better things in mind for Johnny Castle. Or should I say worse.

"Woah, boy," I stop him, taking feirce pleasure in the way his face fell, "It's way over your head here," I said, "Now I thought, you always do _the Mambo_. Huh? Now why not dance this year's _final_ dance," I glance at Baby, knowing she would like this, "To _the Pachenga."_

"Right." Johnny answered in a monotonous voice. Sarcasm. But at the edges of his tone.

I scowled. I was in charge here. Not Johnny. This was my decision, and if Johnny didn't like it, then he could find work somewhere else. "Well, you're free to do the same tired number as last year if you _want_ ," I suggested in a menacing tone. "But uh... _next_ year, we'll find another dance person who'll be only too happy to-"

"Sure, Neil," Johnny agreed before I could finish. Just like I thought. "No problem. We'll end the season with the Pachanga. _Great_ idea," He insisted, voice taking on a bitter edge.

I took a breath. Well, my work was done here. With a satisfied smirk, I walk by Baby on my way out, and hover next to her for a moment. Looking behind me, I see that he had returned to his records. Baby pursed her lips. "Sometimes he's hard to talk to, but the ladies seem to like him," Baby doesn't respond. She won't even look at me after what I have just said, but I felt the need to keep going on my way out, insulting her boyfriend with, "See that he gives you the full half hour you're paying for, kid,"

A smile curled onto my face when I heard the phonograph slam shut.


	37. Johnny In Love

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Six

POV Penny

Johnny In Love

* * *

I stand up, and pull the door open. Moments ago, there had been a knock. Now, I see that it is Johnny outside, waiting for me. His face was grim, and his blue eyes had gone stormy. They were clouded, in frustration, in anger. Something had upset him, that was clear. I pulled my friend into a hug. We were really like family, always there when the other needed them. "What happened?"

Johnny sat down in my chair, and having the feeling that this would be a while, I sat on the edge of my mattress. A sigh escaped Johnny's lungs. "You know that Baby and I..." He drew off.

"Slept together?" I ask. Was that what this was about? "Yeah. I guessed. Why?" It seemed common knowledge even before they got together that they liked each other. I knew what was happening even when they were still blind to it. I'd warned Johnny about getting involved with guests, even if I liked Baby. Of course, he'd slept with her anyway. But what could Johnny have possibly done now? And why did it concern Baby?

"I kept on seeing her," He answered. Shit. Johnny knew he could get fired for this. He knew what would happen if anyone found out. And he didn't seem to care.

"Johnny..."

"Don't start on me," He warned, cutting me off. "They don't know yet,"

Sarcastically, I respond, "Yet being the key word,"

He looked at me, eyes like blue fire. "I knew what I was getting into, Penny," He says. "You think I don't know how dangerous this is, having feelings for a guest? I know I can loose my job because of this. But I care about her too much. I know that's bad, because if any of the management find out, my ass is grass. But Baby, she..."

"She's wonderful," I tell him. She really was. Baby had worked wonders on Johnny. She was the first one he'd really opened up to in such away in a very long time. He needed to hear what I thought about her. "And if she were anything but a guest, I would approve wholeheartedly. But she's a guest," I remind him, which he no doubt had considered himself. "You could get fired, Johnny."

"I'm in love with her, Penny,"

I quiet. Johnny. In love. It was difficult to believe, but I know it is true. If there was one thing Johnny knew besides dancing, it was his own heart. If he said he was in love with Baby, he was. For him to admit it to anyone, he had to be head over heels in love. I never thought this day would come. But I know that he isn't lying. I had seen them look at each other. I had seen how he touched her. My friend had fallen hopelessly in love with Baby Houseman.

"What happened?" I ask. Johnny always came to me to clear his head. I was wondering why he was here now. What could've happened between Baby and him that would have him here?

Quietly, Johnny explained. "We were in the practice studio, and Neil came in to talk to me about the final show. He wants us to do the Pachanga, and threatened to fire me if I didn't. Baby and I ended up fighting," He explained. Johnny took a breath before continuing. "She told me to fight harder, but she doesn't understand why I can't. And then we saw her Father and Sister walking along with Robbie,"

I frowned. I hated Robbie. It was understandable after the things he had done. Now he was going to do those same things to Baby's Sister. He would break her heart. Johnny's continuing words brought me back to reality. "And we had to hide so they wouldn't see us. So I accused her of not fighting for us by hiding our relationship from her Father. When she said that she'd tell him, I didn't believe her."

"And you left her in the woods?" I asked him. Johnny gave a small nod. "Do you still want to be with her?" I knew he did, I just had to get him to say it. Baby had given him more pain in the last week than he'd felt all year. All year, I had seen him be angry, and afraid, but he hasn't shown real pain until he started hanging around Baby. Which was how I knew he loved her.

Johnny released a sigh. "Yes, I just... I don't see how this thing between us is ever going to work out," He pressed a palm into his face. Johnny had no idea what he was doing. No clue whatsoever how rough he was being on Baby. No one should be asked to choose like that. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked me. I smacked the back of his head. Johnny was being stupid. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You are such an idiot!" I shout at him. Every once in a while, he needed the sense knocked into him. "Johnny, you know that Baby loves you,"

"She's never said as much,"

"Just because she hasn't said it, doesn't mean she's not in love with you," I respond. It was glaringly obvious to anyone who looked. "And she is in love with you," I continue. "All you have to do is see it is look at how you are with each other," I touch Johnny's shoulder lightly not illustrate my sincerity. "You're as much in love with her as she is with you."

I laugh at my friend, at the irony of this. I never imagined he would ever fall in love. Never. I thought he would stay cold with everybody, but no. Baby made him melt. "You know, I never thought I would see the day when Johnny Castle fell head over heels in love. I never thought you would go completely mooney eyed over a guest. But you did. It happened. And the same happened to her."

"I _don't_ go mooney eyed," Johnny chided, "But I am in love with her. I just can't understand why she won't tell her Father about us," My friend groaned.

I release a sigh. This was going to take a while to explain. "Here's the thing. As much as Baby loves you, she also loves her Father. Most girls... well, most girls think that there's no one out there who can compare to their Father. There's not a man in the world who's as great as their Daddy. Now, Baby's found you. Someone she loves just as much, if not more. Someone who, as little as this makes sense, is as great as her Father, who can compare.

"Because of us, their relationship started falling apart. Can you imagine what him knowing would do? What would happen if he found out?" I ask. "And here you are, asking her to choose between two men she loves. To forsake one she's known her whole life, consequences be damned, and choose someone she's only known for a few weeks, but is just as in love with. Do you have any idea just how ridiculous that is? To expect her to do that?"

Before I can delve deeper into reading him the riot act, someone knocked at my door. I stood, and opened it. Baby. Once again, these two idiots managed to be in the same place at the same time. It was uncanny. "Hi. Have you seen Johnny?" Baby asked. So that was why she was here. She knew him well, it seemed.

I open the door wider, letting her see him. Johnny stood upon seeing her, and walked over. He stopped at the threshold, watching her silently, in some sort of lover's staring contest. Finally, he stepped outside.

I shut the door behind him, giving the two a moment. This was their business. I didn't need to watch.

What was he going to do?


	38. Apologies

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Seven

POV Baby

Apologies

* * *

"Well, Cousins, it's almost over. Labor day weekend is here. Soon it's back to the old books, and back to work. Ooh, what a terrible thought!"

I run up the steps to Penny's cabin, number five, my last clue. I'd looked all over for him, his cabin, the storage room, even the studio again, as unlikely as that would be. The only place besides this I could think of was out in the woods, by the lake where he'd taught me the lift. That wasn't happening, not without a car.

I needed to apologize to Johnny, especially after what had been said in the woods. I'd been a hypocrite, to talk about how he wouldn't fight for himself, when I wouldn't fight for us. I shouldn't have doubted him. Johnny had his reasons, just as I had mine.

I knock on Penny's door to have her open it a moment later. Breathlessly, I ask, "Hi. Have you seen Johnny?" Emotionlessly, Penny pulled the door open further, to reveal Johnny sitting on a chair inside, hunched over, elbows propped up on his knees. He looked up at me with wide blue eyes that I couldn't read.

Johnny stood, and walked over. He didn't cross the door, not at first. He watched me. I silently begged him to see what I was trying to do. I didn't want to fight with Johnny. I never had. I wanted to apologize. Somewhat reluctantly, Johnny stepped outside with me, folding his arms. I grasp his shoulders and stepped behind him. I press my lips into his skin. "I'm sorry," I whisper. I kiss his skin again and again, praying he will forgive me.

A snide voice came from the road in front of the house. "Hey, well, it looks like I've picked the wrong Sister," Robbie snorted. I stop kissing Johnny, and look at him. Was he calling me easy? "That's okay, Baby. I went slumming, too."

I would have yelled at him, told him he didn't know what he was talking about. But before I can, Johnny lept over the railing. I hear Penny call his name, and call it myself, but it is too late. All I can see is Johnny's first connect with Robbie's jaw. Johnny drove a foot into Robbie's stomach. "Hit me! Hit me," He shouted.

Robbie hit Johnny, but it wasn't long before he was on the ground again. Johnny reigned in his anger, and grabbed Robbie's sweater. "Get out of here, you're not worth it!" He spat. "You're not worth it!"

Robbie scrambled away from Johnny once he had been released. Johnny stood there, reigning in his anger. I quickly forget about Robbie when Johnny started walking towards me. I wasn't upset with him. No, Robbie had been the last in a string of slights to Johnny. If he hadn't done it, someone else would have. If there was anyone I was glad to have Johnny beat up, it was Robbie.

Johnny's arms closed around my waist, face pressing into my stomach. I put my arms around him. I knew, even though he hadn't said anything, he was trying to tell me he was sorry. But he was already forgiven. "We need to talk," His voice said.

"I know,"


	39. Slumming

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Eight

POV Robbie

Slumming

* * *

After suffering through a walk with Lisa, I eventually started heading back to to my cabin for a few minutes of rest before dinner prep. Maybe I could get a date for tonight. God knows Lisa wouldn't be coming by. Maybe one day, but not tonight. I still had hopes for the more wild of the Houseman Daughters.

As I pass Penny's cabin, my eyes catch slight movement on her porch. Curiously, I turn my head to see what was going on. The first thing I see is Johnny, arms folded, studying the floorboards. Well, no surprise there. He always hung around Penny. But then, I see more movement, and hear a small voice whisper, "I'm sorry,"

Well, well, well. What have we here? I crane my neck to get a glance at who the voice comes from, and a shock ran through me when I finally did.

It was Baby.

I almost hadn't seen her behind Johnny; Baby couldn't have been much more than 5 feet in height, where Johnny towered just below 6. But it was her. From those white Keds, to her curly hair. Only it appeared that Baby wasn't nearly as innocent as everyone thought, her white shirt was tied up exposing her midriff, something I'd never seen her do before, even though she made a habit of avoiding me. Even more scandalous, I witnessed her lay a kiss on Johnny's shoulder- no doubt a tender moment between lovers.

I smirk. "Hey, well, it looks like I've picked the wrong Sister," I laughed. It was obvious, they'd been sleeping together for a while now. If I had known Baby would've been the first to climb into bed, I definitely would've picked her over Lisa. We had a few things in common with each other, and Baby was fairly attractive. Besides, she was with Johnny, her standards couldn't be too high.

Baby stopped kissing him, stepping further into the open. Johnny's arms dropped to his side, eyes a blue blaze. One I should've perceived as a warning, but didn't, not even as he pushed Baby back, as if preparing for a fight. No, me and my mouth kept going with, "That's okay, Baby. I went slumming, too."

And then Johnny was sailing through the air, towards me. Me and my big mouth. _Stupid, stupid!_ I curse myself. I hadn't even considered that maybe Johnny had cared about her. And I should've, because he was like that.

My back slammed into the railing, forcing the wind from my lungs. _I don't believe it,_ I muse, _He really cares about her,_

Johnny slammed me into the ground, and I felt a deep ache in my stomach when Johnny's foot sank in. What made it worse, Johnny was freaking _strong_. He pretty much spent most of his days keeping in peak condition, all by dancing. Which meant strong muscles and powerful legs, great for kicking. Those stiff-soled dress shoes he wore weren't helping, either.

I struggle to get up, because once I do, he can't kick me anymore. But as I begin to straighten, Johnny drove a fist into my stomach, worsening the pain already present, and backhanded me across the face. The blow left a stinging, burning pain.

I was done playing his game. I was going to be a Doctor, dammit! I didn't have to take this from the likes of him!

Brashly, I charge forward, attempting to tackle him, but the attempt failed, and Johnny threw me off. When I could see straight again, I see Johnny's furious expression, I knew knew should be afraid. "Hit me! Hit me," He dared, knowing that if I didn't I would look like a coward.

I do. I swing my fist at his jaw, felt the pain of it connecting with his bone. And then he punched my stomach again, so hard that I knew tomorrow I would be black and blue. His fist slammed down on my back, forcing air from my lungs, and I fell to the ground.

Johnny clutched my sweater, knuckles white, face vengeful, like that of a madman. Only one thing made a person that crazy. But then I see a sudden realization come to light in his eyes, though the fury still remained. "Get out of here, you're not worth it!" Johnny roared, releasing me. I'm not stupid enough to ignore his advice. "You're not worth it!"

Clumsily, I scramble away from the Dancer, before he can change his mind. Disbelief and confusion swirled around my brain.

Johnny didn't just care about Baby.

He was in love with her.

* * *

 **Me again! Kind of thought it would be interesting to write from the perspective of a less likeable character, like Neil, and Robbie. It was fun, definitely easier to do this time than things like this normally are for me. Hope you guys like it!**


	40. Hula Hana

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Thirty Nine

POV Baby

Hula Hana

* * *

 _Who's this Hula Hana of Kamanawannahula Bay?_

 _She will Hula when you have a lovely gift she wants you'll hear her say,_

I glance away from the Palm tree I'm painting, to Johnny. He sat on a stool in front of the stage, hunched over some papers that most likely had to do with the show. Stifling a yawn, I move to the front of the tree, and sit down, continuing to watch him absentmindedly. I was supposed to be painting my Palm tree, but I couldn't get my mind off of last night. It had been absolutely wonderful.

 _Bring me a Pineapple that doesn't sting, a bird that swims, a fish that sings, I wanna,_

 _I really wanna,_

 _Bring me a volcano that blows up all the molten jama and a blue Banana,_

 _A cana cana,_

One of the staff members hands him some sheet music.

 _Bring me a Pineapple that doesn't sting, a bird that swims, a fish that sings, I wanna,_

 _I really wanna,_

With a sway in her walk and her shirt cut scandalously low, Vivian Pressman passed by the table where some men play cards. "Hi, Vivian," One croaks.

She stops behind him, leans down, and kisses his bald head affectionately. "Win big, Moe. As always," Vivian smiled. I doubted she even loved him. Her husband laughs, and puffed his cigar confidently. Vivian eyes Johnny hungrily, and slipped over over to him, not a soul in the room noticing but me. Uh oh. _That's trouble,_ I thought immediately when I saw her approach.

I could only watch, unable to tear my eyes away.

 _Bring me a volcano that blows up all the molten jama and a blue Banana,_

 _A cana cana,_

 _And you can wackle all you want to, while I Hula all the day away,_

She stops in front of Johnny, and pulls out a cigarette, "Got a light?" Frowning, Johnny lights it for her, slipping the lighter back into his pocket as quickly as he had it out. Johnny couldn't stand Vivian, this I knew. He tolerated her only because it was his job.

"This is our last night together, lover," She says in a hushed tone, "I've got something worked out for us," He watched her walk away, back to her husband, no doubt to set her dastardly plan into morion. Not for the first time, I wonder what he's thinking. So far, I hadn't been able to read his emotions, which was rapidly becoming an oddity for me.

 _And you can wackle all you want to, while I Hula all the day away,_

It bothered me immensely to see Vivian's attempts to seduce Johnny, however one sided. I knew that she threw herself at him, and he continued to turn her down. He was, however, forced to give her dance lessons. Vivian just couldn't take the hint.

And so I watch his every move.

Johnny turns to face me, a glance over his shoulder, and I pretend I'm not looking. His gaze makes me shiver. Even when Vivian was trying to flirt with him, I couldn't get my mind off last night. How he had held me.

Eventually, I feel his stare move, no longer on me. Johnny went back to his paperwork, probably sheet music for the various musical numbers, be it song or dance.

 _All the boys of Okakokanoka Island gather all the gifts that Hula Hana asks,_

 _They have combed their Island home, fulfilling each whim,_

 _And it's worth it when they watch her shake her grass, 4, 5,_

 _Bring me a gentle breeze that I can keep, an ocean blue that's oh, so deep, I wanna,_

 _I really wanna,_

Suddenly, Johnny stood up and walked over to Moe Pressman, Vivian at his side. What was he doing? He hated Vivian. It had to have been something to do with the show. Johnny would never willingly go to the Pressman's.

 _And she will Hula when you have a lovely gift she wants you'll hear her say,_

"Excuse me, sir?" He asks, "The pirate number is next," Johnny says, handing the man a pirate hat. So that was what he was doing. Mr. Pressman was in the show. That made sense.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Johnny is about to walk away, but Mr. Pressman starts again, "Hey kid. Listen, you know I play cards all weekend, and I've got an all night game tonight." The man pulls out his wallet, and grabs a few bills "Why don't you ah... give my wife some extra dance lessons," Moe smiles, and pressed the wad of money into Johnny's palm. Everyone there knew all too well they weren't paying for dance lessons. It made me furious at the Pressman's.

Johnny looked at the money. It was quite the temptation, especially for someone like him.

 _Bring me a Pineapple that doesn't sting, a bird that swims, a fish that sings I wanna,_

 _I really wanna,_

I grow nervous. Tonight, Johnny and I were going to meet. I was leaving in two days, so we kind of wanted these last few to be special. But I also knew that when Johnny first started working here, he had believed some women actually cared. He knew better now. I also knew that the Pressman's were extremely rich, and Johnny needed the money. They weren't paying for dance lessons. And while I doubted Johnny would sleep with Vivian, but he still could blow off tonight.

 _Bring me a volcano that blows up all the molten jama and a blue Banana,_

 _A cana cana,_

"Um..." Johnny says, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pressman, but I'm booked up the whole weekend, you know with the show, and everything, so I don't have time for anything else... and I don't think it'd be fair to take the money," He hands Mr. Pressman back the money, as the grin falls from his wife's face. Mr. Pressman shrugged, and took his money back.

Johnny turned away, leaving Vivian aghast.

I have never been more proud of him than in that moment.

 _And you can wackle all you want to, you can wackle while I walk away,_

 _And you can wackle all you want to, you can wackle while I walk away,_

 _Away,_

 _Away,_

 _Away,_

The song, and Lisa's off key singing, finally ended. She bowed on the stage. Lisa walked over, and crouched next to me, pulling me out of the daze I had been in from watching Johnny. "I've decided tonight's the night with Robbie," Lisa informed me, a haughty expression on her face. "He doesn't even know yet," She grins, and stands up, walking away with an arrogant sway in her step.

I decide in a second that I need to do something, "Oh, hey, Lisa," I call after her, but it is too late. My Sister is gone, and doesn't even know what she is getting into.


	41. Robbie And Vivian

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty

POV Lisa

Robbie And Vivian

* * *

After finishing with my solo, I walk over to where Baby sat, painting a Palm tree. Or rather, not painting a Palm tree. She was gazing off into space, staring at something. Her eyes flit away before I could see what. But it was just another irritating reminder that I didn't know who her secret beau was yet. Judging by how fast her gaze moved, I would say he was in this room. I was _going_ to find out. And I didn't care how it happened.

I knew it was eating at Baby, how I'd said I was going to sleep with Robbie. It was torturous, and cruel. But it was also fun to watch her squirm, not knowing if she should let me be, or tell me about her lover.

I didn't really care about Robbie. But she needed to think I did. I just wanted to get over that fence of having my virginity gone, and get it over with already. I wasn't going to save myself for Mr. Right. If he was right for me, he would just have to accept my past. My Parents wanted me with him, and Robbie was handsome, and a Doctor... but I didn't love him. He was a passtime, and I didn't feel bad about feeling that way, because I knew he felt the same.

I through down next to my Sister. She looked up at me with those eyes of hers. Her big, innocent, brown doe eyes. Her gaze was soft, and made everyone think her a fragile, sweet, innocent girl. I had envied her eyes as long as I had lived. Especially now that I knew she was anything but innocent. "I've decided tonight's the night with Robbie," I tell her quietly, a massive grin on my face. "He doesn't even know yet," I say gleefully, and stand up.

I walk away from my Sister, leaving her on the stage. Behind me, I hear her voice. "Oh, hey, Lisa," Baby called. I grin wickedly to myself. My plan was working.

* * *

I walked down the path alongside the staff quarters, all glamour. Hand on hip, swaying as I walked. I wore my best dress, a sleeveless, low cut creation. The fabric was light and gauzy, white patterned with red roses, and trimmed in black. Nothing too fancy, just simple white high heels, a string of pearls around my neck, and a small purse. Anything in order to seduce him.

I stop in front of his door, number sixteen, which for some reason had a towel on the handle, and reach into my purse for my compact. It opens, and I gaze down at my reflection, checking my hair and makeup. Ruby red lips, perfect blush and eyeshadow, hair that had no frizz. I was good. I close the compact with a snap and stuff it into my purse, rapping on the wooden door with my knuckles. "Robbie," I call. "It's me,"

I push the door open. I was demure. I was seductive. I was desirable. I was...

I was not going to be having sex with Robbie tonight.

Inside, I am greeted with the sight of Vivian Pressman, sitting on top of Robbie, wrapped up in his sheets. Robbie lay on the mattress, allowing her to pleasure him. At the creak of the door, the two gasp, and look over to me, Vivian's gaze like that of a deer in the headlights. "Holy shit!" Robbie exclaimed.

My jaw dropped in disgust, and the door fell back, separating me from the horrid sight inside. He'd... cheated on me! With a woman old enough to be his Mother! I almost face palm myself for being so stupid, for missing the towel on the handle, the universal, "I'm screwing right now," Sign.

Aghast, I walk back to my cabin. Even though I'd never really cared about Robbie, his unfaithfulness still stung. Was I that unattractive that he would rather sleep with a middle aged, married woman than with me?

This is the question I contemplate the whole walk home, past the cabin with _Dream Lover_ pouring out of every window, past the dance studio, and the main house. The question sticks as I climb through the window, but then it exits when I see Baby's empty bed.

I had told her that I would be gone tonight. I had given her no reason to believe I would be back until morning. And she had gone out to visit her beau, banking on the assumption that she would beat me back. And she probably would've, if Robbie could keep his pants on.

I take I off my make up, and my shoes, and she isn't back. I put up my hair for the night, and take off my dress. No Baby. I slip into my nightgown, and she still isn't back. I look under her bed, to find that her lover's navy blue umbrella is gone. Baby took it with her.

And then I sit. I sit on my bed, listening. Hoping for some indication that she's coming back. I could finally catch her. I could blackmail her into telling me about it. All I had to do was wait her out.

But then the clock passed eleven. And then twelve. And twelve thirty.

Which was when I realized that she wasn't coming back.

Not tonight. Baby wouldn't be back until morning.

She really trusted whoever she was with. It wasn't a big deal for me to spend the night at Robbie's. It didn't mean anything. But it would to Baby. She was the good girl. She wouldn't jump into bed with someone she didn't care about. And she certainly wouldn't spend the night if her feelings, her trust, didn't run deep. Unfortunately, I still didn't know who.

But I would.

Sitting there in the dark, I concocted the most dastardly of my schemes yet. I was finally going to know. It was a matter of hours.

* * *

 **Hi. Sorry I haven't updated this in a while, been very busy.**

 **To those of you who haven't yet figured it out, I'm actually attempting to give Lisa character depth by writing from her perspective, one of a Daughter who just never seemed to be good enough. She doesn't have a lot in the movie, and I have always wondered just how much she knew about what Baby was doing. She would've known about Baby sneaking off at odd hours, especially at night. With the way I've written her, she's not as dumb as she looks. And maybe she has some room for personal growth here, which is only hinted at in the movie. Maybe! ;)**


	42. Dream Lover

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty One

POV Johnny

Dream Lover

* * *

It still caused me a bit of shock each time I opened my door to find Baby standing there. There was a part of me that thought, despite us agreeing to meet tonight, she might just realize that she could have better than me. So whenever she appeared like we'd agreed, I was still a bit surprised, just as I was tonight, to find her standing there.

There hadn't been dancing tonight, with all the setup for the show filling the play house. There had been a bunch of games, and things like that, rather than dancing, which meant that I didn't need to be there, and had been able to shower tonight. That I was very much grateful for. A lot of people wouldn't think it, but you worked hard at dancing, especially ballroom. In this heat, after, say, two or three songs, four if I was lucky, I found myself soaked in sweat, especially in those suits. And that always happened, be the dances Rumba, or Peabody, Quickstep or Balboa. It was gross, and I didn't want to meet Baby looking sweaty and disgusting.

I opened the door for Baby, and let her in. She was wearing her Keds and a white sleeveless dress where the top buttoned down. Furtively, I glanced to the dance shoes she'd left behind the other day. Penny wanted her to have them, so she'd have to take them back soon, or they'd get left here when her family went home in two days.

"Would you like to sit down?" I asked her politely, waving at one of the chairs in my cabin. Thankfully, tonight my room was relatively clean, so I didn't have to deal with the mess of awkwardly picking up things while she was here.

Baby glanced at the record player for half a second, which was playing _Dream Lover_ currently. "Um. Sure," Baby answered bashfully, lowering herself into the seat. I sat down in the chair opposite her, elbows propped up on my knees, watching her.

"You left your shoes behind in my car after the Sheldrake,"I remind Baby, looking at the spot where I'd set her shoes on my floor. At first I'd thought that she just didn't remember to get them back, which would be understandable, but it also occurred to me later that maybe she'd meant to leave them behind.

"Yeah, I just kind of forgot them," Baby explained, looking from the shoes to me and back again. She brushed a silky lock of hair from her eyes. "To be honest, I kind of thought that Penny might want them back,"

"Keep them," I say to her "You're one of us now, you dance. Those shoes are broken into your feet." That was what happened, after a few days of dancing in the same shoes, after all. "Besides, we have at least ten more like them sitting in the closet in the practice room," Neither of us said a word after that, not for a while. Long enough to make it feel strange.

"I saw what you did earlier," Baby spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "With Vivian."

I nod. I'd figured as much. She'd been in earshot, even if she didn't look like she was paying attention to me. "It felt good to turn her down this time," I confessed. "I know I've done it before, but this time it felt different. Better. I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I kept on hearing your voice in my head. Not just because of what we are, though that was part of it. You keep on saying to fight harder, to be better. I just wanted to be someone you could be proud of," I tell her, smiling gently in her direction.

For all I have said to Baby about her being naive, about half the things I say to her that aren't about dancing make me feel so uneducated. Like I hardly know anything. She acts so much older than she is, but hardly seems to know a thing about the real world, and yet she knows so much more than me, and probably always will. I don't know what that is, but confuses the hell out of me.

"You did make me proud," Baby said to me. "Especially..." Her brown eyes looked down to her lap, and then back up at me. "I mean, you could've just skipped our date tonight. You could've taken the money and given her the dance lessons, no matter what she really wanted. I know you wouldn't have slept with her." Baby firmly told me. "But they were offering to pay you an obscene amount of money to skip one date with me, and you didn't."

"She couldn't have paid me enough to drop tonight," I tell her. Nothing on this world could possess me to spend a night fending off Vivian Pressman's advances over being right here, in my room, with her, the woman I loved. No amount of money would make this not worth it for me.

"I'm nothing special," Baby whispered to me. I still wondered how she couldn't see her own worth in moments like these, when Baby insisted that she was average. She wasn't average in any way, and least of all to me. If only I could make her see that.

I stand from my seat, taking one of Baby's hands. They felt so small compared to mine. I help her to her feet. My left hand slid up her arm, over her shoulder to the back of her neck, toying with her locks. The other arm snaked around Baby's waist, urging us closer together. Her hands landed on my chest, breath hitching. Couldn't she see how beautiful she really was? "You are irreplaceable," I insist in a soft voice. I don't know what I would do if I lost her. "Never let anyone tell you different," And then I kiss her.

Her arms looped themselves around my neck, and she deepened the kiss, breaking only when it has gone on so long that neither of us can breathe. My arms tighten around her, and I lift her feet from the floor, touching kisses to Baby's throat. Her fingers net themselves in my hair, she pressed a kiss to my forehead. I let her back onto the floor, feeling her arms drop to my waist. Her fingers run down my back, shoulders to hips, going over the lines of different muscles. My palms slide from her waist, over her butt, to land on Baby's thighs. I kissed her on the lips, again and again, each one quick and leaving us both wanting more. Between two kisses, I say to her, "You're wearing too many clothes."

"So are you," Baby managed to get out. I agreed. Tired of waiting, Baby pulled her dress off, tossing it aside. I pull her slip off. She was only wearing her underwear and bra, by then. I pick Baby up, and her legs wrap around my waist, hitching themselves at the ankle. I walk her over to the bed, and lay her down on it. Baby pulled me on top of her for another kiss, a kiss of passion and need.

It didn't take long for the rest of the clothes to disappear that night. I couldn't help but think of how helplessly in love with her I was. And Baby didn't even know. But I was going to have to tell her soon. Very soon, or she might never know how I felt.


	43. In The Still Of The Night

Chapter Forty Two

POV Baby

In The Still Of The Night

* * *

As Johnny and I lie wrapped up together in his bedsheets, in the blissful aftermath of lovemaking, the song on his record changed to _In The Still Of The Night_.

 _In the still of the night,_

 _I held you, held you tight,_

 _Cause I love, love you so,_

 _Promise I'll never let you go,_

 _In the still of the night,_

"You wanna hear something crazy?" Johnny asked. His voice was about the only thing that I was aware of now. The words to the song all blurred together. The only other thing I cared about then was his fingers, deftly stroking the skin over my neck and collar bone, a motion I never wanted to stop.

I want to give him an answer he deserves, one that was as dignified as he was. I care deeply about what Johnny had to say. But I'm only about breath away from falling asleep, so my answer is a glorified "Hmm,"

 _I remember that night in May,_

 _The stars were bright above,_

 _I'll hope, and I'll pray,_

 _To keep your precious love,_

Johnny hesitates before telling me, seeming afraid of his own words. "Last night I... I dreamt we were walking along, and... we met your Father. And he said come on, and he put his arm around me. Just like he did with Robbie,"

 _Well before the light,_

I roll over to face Johnny. Right now was one of the very few times I'd ever seen vulnerability in his eyes, but I saw it now. His walls were down. Johnny turned his head to face me, blue eyes looking straight into mine. "Is that crazy, Baby?" He questioned, "For me to want that?"

"No," I assure him softly. I place my hand on the side of his face, the pad of my thumb resting across his cheekbone. Johnny was the most beautiful man I'd ever met. Right now, beautiful was the word for it, not handsome, because in these moments, I could really see him. All of him. "No, Johnny, that's not crazy." I learnt my forehead into his. "In fact, it's probably one of the sanest things I've heard you say since we met."

I felt his palm press into my shoulder, and a gentle rise of his chest as Johnny took in a long breath, eyes closed. "It feels crazy," He admitted in the still darkness if his room. I don't know why we whisper when we're the only ones around, but it feels right. The dark was a place for whispers.

 _Hold me again, with all of your might,_

"Crazy like how I, the Daddy's girl, ended up sneaking off for trysts with a secret boyfriend that just so happens to be a Dancer?" I ask him with a small smile. Everything around us was crazy right now. In fact, the only place I felt sure of where I stood anymore was with Johnny.

"Yeah," Johnny chuckled in aggreance, fingers fondly stroking hair behind my neck. "Crazy like how I've been spending my day's with the stunningly beautiful Daughter of my boss's Doctor, a thing that would get me fired faster than you could say 'pink slip' if anybody else knew about it."

 _In the still of the night,_

Hearing Johnny call me beautiful makes me want to grin and shriek and kiss him all at once. A strange sensation, but not altogether unpleasant. Unfortunately, it still doesn't address something I had been wondering about since yesterday. Why Johnny had beat up Robbie.

It wasn't as simple as what he said to me. Johnny had a cooler head than that, it _couldn't_ be as simple as that. When I first came here, I'd seen Robbie give a similar slight to Johnny, and he just took it, leaving with a snide comment and a few knocked over forks. "Crazy like you beating up Robbie the other day, because of what he said to me?" I asked quietly.

"He called you a whore, Baby." Johnny answered flatly, cut and dried, simple. But this was anything but. I think Johnny knew why, I think he just didn't want to admit it. And I had a hunch that this dream he'd had involving Robbie and my father had a lot more to do with it than he was letting on.

I firmly retort, "He did not," And brush some hair from my forehead. I felt Johnny's arms pull me just a little bit closer. I know how that conclusion was reached, and God knows how protective of me Johnny was, but Robbie never actually called me a whore. That is, not straight out.

"He may as well have, and you can't tell me he didn't deserve it, " The Dance Instructor argued, like deserve was an automatic okay to beat somebody up. But it wasn't,and both Johnny and I knew that.

"If we want to play the deserve game, that should've happened weeks ago," I tell him, looking to those eyes of his that were always so clear about showing what he was thinking, now unreadable. "When he was being an ass to Penny. You wouldn't have done that under normal circumstances. So why?"

"Because right then, I hated him," Johnny answered, deep voice a steely calm of bottled anger. "And it wasn't for Penny, it wasn't for what he said, it was because Robbie can be a complete ass to everyone else, and your Father will still think he's great." The Dancer explained, frustration lining the undertones of his voice. "And it doesn't matter how much I care about you, or how good I am," He continued, "Because he's never going to accept me. When we saw them walking along... I was just so angry, because I knew I wouldn't ever be good enough for him, and Robbie was, without even caring."

My heart goes out to him, to this man who cared so much that he wanted my Father's approval. Who hurt at the fact that he didn't have it. I didn't give a dime how my Father felt about Johnny. It had nothing to do with my feelings. "You shouldn't be jealous of Robbie. He's nothing next to you,"

Johnny's blue eyes, the ones that I loved so, are filled with pain. "But I am jealous, Baby. He's certainly not nothing in they eyes of your Father. I just want him to accept me, you know? Could you imagine if we could be together and not have to hide? If your father accepted that we lo- care about each other?"

 _So before the light,_

 _Hold me again, with all of your might,_

 _In the still of the night,_

I was so tired that it didn't register that he'd almost told me he loved me. I could feel sleep taking me, so I tried to use my time. "I wish that could happen, Johnny. One day soon, I will tell him. I know you want him to like you, to not wish I was dating someone else. But even if he doesn't accept it, I am still going to be with you. I will not stop feeling the way I do. I'm not going to let him control my life," I promise him. My Father made no decisions about who I loved. "You're the one I want to be with, Johnny. Nothing he can do is ever going to change that,"

 _In the still of the the night,_

My words were true. What I felt for Johnny, it could be love. And I was completely unafraid of wanting such things with him. I could feel his grin at my words. "You sure? You really want the poor Dancer boy who grew up on the streets?"

I pressed a kiss to his lips. "Absolutely. Are you sure you want someone like me? The naive daughter of a Doctor who won't accept our relationship?"

"Are you supposed to start on the two in Mambo?" I know I should answer, know there is more to be said. But as I feel Johnny's lips on mine, that blissful sensation, I let sleep take me.

 _In the still of the night,_

* * *

 **Oh my God, guys, I am so sorry!**

 **So first off, I no longer have the problem with access to the internet on the device that has the stories on them. I transferred the documents to a google docs, and I can work on them from there.**

 **Second of all, three reason it took so long to get this up is**

 **1\. I had to write in some parts I added, and**

 **2\. I went through the chapters I'd posted to edit them, and I realized just now that I posted the non Exerts version of Hula Hana in this. I had them both in the doc manager here, but I must have mixed them up when posting because both of them are titled Hula Hana. This is what I'm sorry about. The actual version of that chapter is now up and edited to perfection.**

 **So, now, my hosting should return to normal. Thank you to all my readers. I hope you haven't lost too much faith in me.**

 **TheLovelyBallroomGeek**


	44. The Morning

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Three

POV Johnny

The Morning

* * *

Last night had been wonderful. It was better than a dream. But the morning came. It always did. The morning marked another day of our time together gone by. It marked another goodbye, another tick closer to finally having to say the real thing. It marked one more night gone, one more time she had to walk away from me. I hated mornings.

Movement from Baby wakes me. She stood up from the bed, leaving the sheet behind, starting the search for her clothes completely naked. "Morning," I comment, before following suit and searching for my clothes.

I catch her shirt resting on the floor, and pick it up. "I'm late," She mentioned. I look to my watch. It was quarter to six. She was late. We'd indulged, and slept in later than we should have. She needed to be gone a while ago. I pass her the shirt. "Thank you,"

I find my underwear at the foot of the bed, and my pants a few feet away. I yank them on. Baby is completely dressed when I look up. I didn't even have my belt buckled. She needed to get out of here now, and I realized that if I wanted to say goodbye to her, I'd have to forget about looking presentable and do it now. "I have to go," She said despondently.

I open the door for her, letting her go down the steps first. I stood on my stoop, not quite believing just how much I loved this girl. This beautiful woman, with her curly hair and brown eyes had stolen my heart. Something I had believed impossible until her. There was no question. I had fallen completely, head over heels in love with Baby. "When can I see you again?" I ask. Our time together was running out, and it only made me want to be with her more.

"I'll get away as soon as I can," She answered. "Johnny, what do we do when the Summer is over? I'm leaving tomorrow morning,"

That question was something I too had been dwelling on. But I wasn't prepared to answer it. I knew that if I wanted this to go anywhere, I would have to. I was in love with Baby. I wanted our relationship to continue, but that would mean her Father knowing, and probably Max, too. I wasn't going to let Baby just walk out of my life.

I can't lie to her, and answer something I have no clue about. But I don't know the truth, so I answer as best I can. "We're going to figure it out, Baby. I promise you. We aren't going to lose this at the end of the Summer. You'll see," I slid an arm around her shoulders. "I can't wait to see you again," I whisper, and press my lips to hers. The kiss is long, and sweet, but eventually, Baby and I reluctantly part from each other.

Baby touched a kiss to my cheek, and moved further down the stairs. I hold onto her hand as long as I can, desperate to feel her touch. She looked back at me, "Goodbye,"

"Bye," I whisper. I stand on my step, watching the woman I loved walk away, wishing more than anything that I was brave enough to tell her how I felt.


	45. Rules

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Four

POV Vivian Pressman

Rules

* * *

She stepped out from Robbie's cabin. The Waiter was sleeping soundly. He hadn't wanted to wake up to Vivian. That was one of the rules. You don't see each other in the morning.

Moe hadn't touched her in five years. He'd had Secretaries, and Interns, but not her. And she got to have her own fun. It was the worst kept secret in the house. Everyone knew what went on behind closed doors, yet acted as if they didn't.

Robbie was just another dalliance. He was efficient, and had gotten the job done. He'd served his purpose. The only thing special about him was when some girl walked in. Don't get her wrong, Robbie was good. But he wasn't what she'd wanted. She'd wanted the Dancer. Johnny.

Johnny was unbelievably handsome, and no doubt good in bed. But he'd refused her advances the whole trip. Not even a stolen kiss after all those dance lessons she'd bought. Last night, she'd offered him a small fortune for one night, hoping he'd get the hint. Everyone knew what she was paying for. Johnny knew it, Moe knew it.

But Johnny had the audacity to turn her down. He'd walked away from the chance of a lifetime, and Vivian had no idea why.

A door creaking in the distance caught her attention. Vivian looked up to see who it was. She saw a white skirt and shirt, and white shoes. It was a young girl, probably a guest, holding a pair of silver heels. She saw a mass of brown curls. Only one girl had curls like that at Kellerman's. The Houseman girl.

As the door closed, Vivian saw who she'd spent the night with.

It was Johnny.

Her jaw dropped.

How on _Earth_ did a girl like that get Johnny? What did Baby offer him that she didn't have? She couldn't very well ask her Parents for the money. If he'd done it for the money, she'd have had to have paid him more than Vivian had offered, which would draw too much suspicion from her Parents.

Vivian might have believed that he'd taken her and her money because she was prettier, if it weren't for the rules she was seeing broken everywhere.

That's right. If you paid for sex with the staff, there were rules.

You didn't see each other in the morning. You got dressed and got out. You weren't walked to the door. You didn't say goodbye.

No one had ever walked Vivian to the door, not like that. Not only had Johnny walked Baby to the door, he'd done it only partially dressed. He'd walked Baby to the door, barefoot, hair messy, belt unbuckled. All to say goodbye.

When you paid, that didn't happen. You couldn't buy that kind of devotion. Johnny was a gentleman, and he was treating Baby like a lady. If Vivian had slept with him, that wouldn't have happened. If Johnny was breaking the rules, it could only mean that he really cared about this girl. That feelings had gotten involved.

Johnny put his arm around the girl, and kissed her deeply. When it was over, she kissed his cheek, and held onto his hand as long as she could, walking off into the woods. Johnny just stood there, watching her walk away.

You didn't hold hands. You didn't kiss goodbye. You didn't watch them walk away.

It had Vivian seeing red.

He'd stood her up for some two bits whore of a teenager. Because he had feelings. No one held _Vivian's_ hand. No one watched _her_ walk away. And no one _ever_ kissed her goodbye. What was so damn special about this girl?

It stung, bitterly. Johnny took this young girl who didn't even pay when he could have had her. She'd offered him the kind of money people like him couldn't afford to turn down. But not only did he have the gaul to do it, he'd taken in someone who couldn't pay, and broken every rule there was!

The need for revenge boiled up in her, hot and strong. She wanted to drive them apart. She wanted them to remember her name with regret. She wanted Johnny to wish he'd taken her offer, to rue the day he'd slept with the Houseman girl instead of Vivian. The lovers were going to pay for this, that was for certain. All she needed to know was how.

* * *

 **I just thought it would be interesting to write from Vivian's perspective for this scene. That's the only reason why this is in there. But I was having trouble writing it in first person, so I changed it to third. It helped a lot. I didn't have to get as in her head, which is not something I wanted in the first place.**

 **To those of you that like my writing in third person and want more, tough luck. As a general rule, I don't like writing in third person. I just don't do it. It makes you feel like you're less of a part of the story, which is something I personally like to experience when I'm reading. I also find the imagery in third person to be not as vivid as in first person.**

 **I hope you guys liked this, more chapters soon. We're getting close to the end!**


	46. Baby Grown Up

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Five

POV Lisa

Baby Grown Up

* * *

I fought to keep the devious smirk off my face as I heard Baby clamber through the window, careful not to wake me. Little did she know, I was already up. Across the room, I hear her change into her nightgown. I knew what I was about to do was cruel, but I was going to find out once and for all where she was going.

And then, in barely a second, Baby froze, realizing that something wasn't quite right. I felt her eyes land on me, and I knew she had realized that I'd been awake the whole time. Feeling rather smug, I sat up, and in an equally smug tone, say, "And where have you been?"

"Lisa. You're up early," She responded, a stark look upon her face. There was a nervous fear in her eyes as she sought ways to get out of this, fidgeting nervously.

I scowl, using one of my hidden talents; acting. "Last night, I went to Robbie's cabin. I knocked on the door, and went in. He was in the middle of having sex with Vivian Pressman. So, disgusted, I turned around to come back here. I wanted to tell you that you were right about him. As usual. Only you weren't here."

"Lisa..."

"I found your bed empty and your window open. You snuck out, for once. I'd figured that maybe you needed some air, or you went for a late night walk. I waited up for an hour, and you hadn't come back. It was then I figured out that you weren't going to." I look to her, gaze soft, lying through my teeth. "The one time that I needed you... and you weren't there. Where were you, Baby? Who were you with?" At these last few words, I let my voice break, and my eyes fill with tears. It had hurt to find Robbie with another woman. But I really didn't care about him that much. Of course, for Baby to tell me what I wanted to know, she needed to believe otherwise.

Baby walked over and sat down next to me, enveloping me in her arms. She was eating out of my hand. "It's okay, Lisa. It's okay."

I keep up the act praying she won't discover what I was doing. "No, it's not. I really liked him. He wasn't just a game for me, like all the others. And he never even cared about me. He stuck around because he thought I would sleep with him. And if I hadn't caught him and Vivian, I would've. You were right, Baby. You always are. You said not to go to him, and I didn't listen. Is there something wrong with me?" I wailed.

"Oh, No, Lisa. It's Robbie, not you." Baby shook her head, eyebrows pinching together sympathetically. "He's horrible. Besides, if you hadn't gone last night, but still stayed with him, you would've found out eventually. And it only would've hurt more when you did. You can't blame yourself for being fooled by him. Even Dad was," My little Sister reassured me.

"Who were you with last night, Baby? Was it Neil? Please tell me," I didn't believe it was Neil, not after the way she'd been attempting to avoid him. But I was impatient. Comparing Neil to her lover would be Baby's final straw, since I knew for a fact that she couldn't stand him, even though he seemed intent on annoying her in the hopes that she would like him back.

Baby pursed he lips. I knew she'd cracked. Satisfaction ran through me. "Swear you won't tell Mom and Dad. Especially Dad. They would never understand," Baby shook her head, folding her hands in her lap.

"I swear," I answer, containing my excitement. I was finally going to know who she, little miss perfect, the good one, was sneaking out to see. "So it wasn't Neil, then?"

"No!" She immediately answered, "Lisa, I can't stand Neil. I don't even like him as a person, much less a boyfriend," Baby finished, making her voice steady so there would be no question that it was not Neil she was sneaking out for trysts with.

"So who was it?" I ask excitedly. I hadn't really thought it was him, but it was good bait. "I promise I will not tell our Parents,"

"Johnny Castle. The Dance Teacher,"

 _"What?!"_ I ask in disbelief. Of all the men at Kellerman's... of all the boys she could've had, the Dance Instructor was literally the last person I wouldn't expect her to go for. But then... he was handsome as handsome could be, I recall, from when he'd given me simple instructions for the steps I'd be doing while I sang in the show. I know immediately that there must've been something really special about him for her to come out of her shell like that.

"Shh!" Baby hissed, urgent to make sure her secret stayed just that: a secret.

"How long have you been..."

"Since last week Thursday. Bingo night,"

"That was more than a week ago!" I exclaimed. "Robbie and I were seeing each other longer than that, and we _still_ haven't slept together!"

"Yes, but Johnny and I have known each other almost this whole trip," Baby responded, looking thoughtful, and a little reminiscent. "I was always kind of attracted to him. It just... the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. I wanted to spend more time with him. And the more time I spent with him, the stronger my feelings got. One day I realized that I was falling in love with him, and It just got worse. By the time we got together... we both had really strong feelings for the other. Being a couple only made them stronger,"

Her words strike my curiosity. I feel a hunger for details, to know how this Dancer had swept my little Sister off her feet. I want to know how they met, when they decided to get together. How it all happened. She'd said she realized she'd been falling for him. "Do you love him?" I ask.

"I'm not sure yet. I think I do. It's sort of like..." Baby paused, as if she didn't know what to say. She collected her thoughts. "You know how with you and Robbie, it was an 'I'm bored, I wish I were with him,' or a 'Neither of us are doing anything at this time, let's meet up,'?" I nodded, curious as to where she was going with this. "With me and Johnny, it's not like that. It's a physical need to be with each other. It's me missing him right now, even though he's not even that far away. It's hurting when he's away. I'm not talking about being horny, it's just wanting him around. Not his body. With Johnny, every moment feels precious, every kiss, or glance, or touch. Every word, breath, and heartbeat. It's like without him, a piece of _me_ is missing."

That sure sounded like love to me. She didn't know she was in love with him. Baby loved Johnny. I didn't need to know the particulars of their relationship to know that. And if I had to guess, he loved her too. I know, immediately, that one day I want to feel what she feels for this man, for her Johnny. But that would have to wait for now. "Can you tell me how you two met? What happened?"

Baby released a sigh. I know just on that breath, that she won't tell me yet. "Maybe one day, Lisa. One day. I still need to shower,"

I nod at my Sister, who stood up and left the room. My little Sister, who everyone called Baby, was in love. Head over heels in love.

Baby had grown up.

* * *

"You know how you feel when you see a patient, and... well, you think he's all right. Then you look at the X-rays, and it's nothing like you thought?"

"What happened, Max?" My Father asks.

"It's exactly what it's like when you find out one of your staff's a thief," Max answered. I look over in mild interest. Up until now, I had been contemplating Baby's relationship with Johnny Castle, the Dance Instructor at Kellerman's.

Neil's voice came from further down the table. "Moe Pressman's wallet was stolen when he was playing Pinochle last night. It was in his jacket, hanging on the back of his chair. He had it at 1:30, and when he checked again at quarter to 4:00, _it was missing,"_ Neil finished dramatically, twitching his eyebrows. I shrug at the new information. This was the most exciting thing to happen since we came to Kellerman's, except for Baby's affair with Johnny.

Max spoke again, in a solemn voice. "Vivian thinks she remembers this dance kid, Johnny, walking by." I don't need to look at Baby to know she tensed at his words. I could hear it. I knew the cause for her stress better than anyone at this table. It was impossible for Johnny to have taken the wallet, because he had been with Baby all night. But why would Vivian accuse Johnny? Silently, I watch Baby, who was growing more nervous by the second. She could end this now. "So, we ask him," Mr. Kellerman says. "'Do you have an alibi for last night?' He says he was alone in his room, reading,"

Leave it to Mr. Kellerman to be completely blind in these matters. Never mind that Vivian wouldn't have been able to accuse Johnny, because she was with Robbie last night. They believed her anyway. And because Baby was with Johnny, he couldn't give Max a real alibi.

A cold, cruel laugh escaped Neil's throat. "There are no books in Johnny's room," He assured me, as if it was completely ridiculous for Johnny to be reading.

Baby jumped, desperate to save her lover. "Look, there's been a mistake. I know that Johnny didn't do it," She pleaded, no one but me aware of just how true Baby's words were. There was no way he could have done this.

But Neil would have none of it. "There've been similar thefts at the Sheldrake, and it's happened here before. _Three_ other wallets,"

"Well, I know he didn't do it," Baby insisted, voice desperate.

"Stay out of it, Baby," Neil advised, a tone that told her that Johnny getting fired, regardless of his innocence, was none of her business. His voice told Baby she was a little girl who didn't know what she was doing.

All of a sudden, Mr. Kellerman stood up. "Wait, don't put those tables together! Come on," He complained, rushing over to another table.

These people. For a while I had been just as bad as them. Now I had the chance to change. They would never believe Baby, never believe that there was a chance Johnny might be innocent. Not without a whole lot of proof she couldn't give. They had no idea what it would cost her to give Johnny an alibi.

Baby slipped into the empty seat Max left. She turned to our Father. "Daddy I need your help," She begged. My Father turned to her. He has ignored her for so long, but he listens now. Only he won't believe the truth anymore than Max or Neil will. "I _know_ Johnny didn't take Moe's wallet. I know," She insisted.

"Oh, how do you know?"

Baby freezes, mouth open, like she can't get the words out. Like they are painful to utter. "I can't tell you," Our Father looks away. I know Baby has lost, but she doesn't give up yet. "But just _please, trust me,_ Daddy!" And then my Father said words I never thought I would hear him say.

"I'm sorry, Baby, I can't."

Mr. Kellerman appears behind Baby and my Father, back from socializing with the other guests, and for some reason holding a pastry. "This danish is pure protein," He says.

Baby turned to look at him. I feel pity for her, my sister, this girl who could do nothing to stop the train wreck heading towards the man she loved. Nothing except send it reeling towards herself. "Oh, Mr. Kellerman, look," She says. The desperation in her voice has never been more clear. "Maybe it was...um..." I don't think she'll be able to go anywhere with this, but a dawning expression appeared on her face, and she answered. "You- you know, it could've been that- that little old couple, the Schumacher's. I saw her with a couple of wallets,"

The Schumachers? Really? I don't know how guilty they are, but I believe Baby's words. If she saw it, she saw it. But whether the wallets were stolen it unsure. "Sylvia and Sydney?" Max asked, not believing her.

Dad shouted at Baby, "Baby, you don't go around accusing innocent people!" Of course, that was what they had done. Johnny _was_ innocent. No one at this table knew that but us. I could say that I was with him, to protect my Sister. I could. They would believe me. They wouldn't understand why, because I'd had Robbie, but they would believe it.

But I see the look on her face. She loved Johnny, and she needed to do this for herself. I remember the rift that was between my Father and her. Another lie would not solve it, and would bring problems further down the road. Selfishly, I think that it would also make my Father mad at me.

Baby tried to assure them in a high pitched, terrified voice. "Yeah, but I _saw_ them! I even saw them at the Sheldrake!" She looked to Neil for help. "Didn't you say something was stolen at the Sheldrake?"

"Mhmm," Neil answered dryly and without much thought. But it didn't matter, because Mr. Kellerman had already made his decision.

"I've got an eye witness, and the kid has no alibi," He stated satisfactorily. "Come on, Neil. You'll learn what it's like to fire an employee,"

I can see the moment when she gives up hope, resigning herself to the fact that there was only one way to save Johnny. When she speaks, it is not desperate. There are no words for this emotion. The only one I know she feels is pain, which she pushed through, "No! Mr.- Mr. Kellerman, wait a minute. I know Johnny didn't take the wallet. I know he didn't take it, because he was in his room all night," She said, pausing before giving up. "And the reason I know... is because I was with him,"

Baby looked at Dad. By the look on his face, I could tell, this was something he did believe. He looked down to his plate. This was nothing you lie about. Everyone stared at her, horrified. My gaze is sympathetic. They had no idea what that just cost her.

Max is the first to speak, still not recovered from such a shock. "Is this true, Baby?"

My little Sister nodded. She is so bold as to say more, "We were in his room all night long. He didn't leave my side for a second. Ask him," She says. Our Dad stood up, having heard enough. I feared the rift was irreparable, now. He left the room while Max spoke.

"Well," He began starkly, "It appears I have an apology to make," Max left the room. No one said anything, no one ate. Mom wouldn't look at Baby, all Neil could do was look at her.

And then finally, Baby spoke, standing up from her chair. "Excuse me. I need to find Dad," Baby left, the remaining people at the table sitting in stony silence.

What had she done?


	47. The Truth

**I do no own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Six

POV Jake

The Truth

* * *

The breakfast table had been eerily silent until Max spoke. We didn't usually talk much, but this was even less than the norm. It was as if the whole table had been waiting for this conversation. "You know how you feel when you see a patient, and... well, you think he's all right. Then you look at the X-rays, and it's nothing like you thought?" Max asked

"What happened, Max?" I ask in concern. Max didn't worry easily, so whatever had him vexed this morning must have been big.

"It's exactly what it's like when you find out one of your staff's a thief," My friend answered, shaking his head.

Before I can wonder too much, Neil explained, "Moe Pressman's wallet was stolen when he was playing Pinochle last night," Really? Interesting. The theif would need to be able to get close enough to take it, and get away without suspicion. He would also need to know Moe, to get that close to him. "It was in his jacket, hanging on the back of his chair. He had it at 1:30, and when he checked again at quarter to 4:00, _it was missing,"_

"Vivian thinks she remembers this dance kid, Johnny, walking by," Max said. I feel a twinge of familiarity at the name. I realize that Johnny was the Dancer who Baby had helped. Well, I wouldn't put it past him to steal a wallet if given the chance. Especially after how he'd treated Penny. "So, we ask him. 'Do you have an alibi for last night?' He says he was alone in his room, reading,"

Really? Alone, reading? That was a horrible alibi. That was the oldest excuse in the book. The only thing it proved was that Johnny didn't want you to know where he really was. Neil laughed coldly at the thought of Johnny reading. "There are no books in Johnny's room," He laughed. Neil seemed to think the very idea was absurd. Who was I to argue?

"Look, there's been a mistake," Baby says, suddenly seeming very invested in this. She did know the Dancer, I suppose. But that was no reason to assume he was innocent. They weren't very close friends, or anything. All there was was a fleeting attraction, that I hoped would go away in time. "I know that Johnny didn't do it,"

"There've been similar thefts at the Sheldrake, and it's happened here before," Neil told her. " _Three_ other wallets,"

"Well, I know he didn't do it!"

"Stay out of it, Baby," Neil spat. I couldn't understand my Daughter's desire to prove this man innocent. This did not affect her in any way, she barely knew Johnny. It wouldn't hurt for one man to be locked up.

"Wait, don't put those tables together! Come on," Max stood up from our table and hurried over to the next. He was always ready to socialize, Max. Baby moved from her own seat next to Neil, to the vacant one next to me.

"Daddy, I need your help," She begged. Her voice was full of a painful desperation that did not belong there. Not for someone she barely knew. I had never heard her use this tone before, and it made me wonder why she was using it. "I _know_ Johnny didn't take Moe's wallet," Baby insisted. "I know."

"Oh, how do you know?"

Baby froze. "I can't tell you," She answered. I looked away. She was lying to me again. Trust was a two way road. If she couldn't trust me with this, I would never be able to trust her. "But just _please, trust me,_ Daddy!"

"I'm sorry, Baby, I can't,"

"This danish is pure protein," Max said behind me.

Baby looked to him before he could get out another word. "Oh, Mr. Kellerman, look. Uh... maybe Johnny didn't do it. Anyone could've taken it," Baby suggested. "Maybe it was... um... you- you know, it could've been that- that little old couple, the Schumacher's. I saw her with a couple of wallets,"

"Sylvia and Sydney?"

"Baby, you don't go around accusing innocent people!" I scold her. I had raised my Daughter better than that.

"Yeah, but I _saw_ them!" Baby insisted, voice gone high. "I even saw them at the Sheldrake! Didn't you say something was stolen at the Sheldrake?" She asked Neil. What was the Sheldrake, and why had Baby been there?

"Mhmm," Neil answered.

"I've got an eye witness, and the kid has no alibi." Max said in satisfaction. "Come on, Neil. You'll learn what it's like to fire an employee,"

"No! Mr.- Mr. Kellerman, wait a minute," Baby stopped them. Her voice was soft. Not desperate, but painful. "I know Johnny didn't take the wallet. I know he didn't take it, because he was in his room all night," Oh no. Please tell me she wasn't in there for the reason I thought she was. Please. I dread her next words, but they come anyway. "And the reason I know... is because I was with him,"

Baby looked to me, awaiting my response. I stare down at my plate, unable to look at her. She had lied to me a lot since coming here. But I could be certain that this was true. This was painfully true. She wouldn't lie about having an affair. My Daughter had her innocence stolen by a Dancer.

"Is this true, Baby?" Max asked. I do not need to ask. I knew all too well that it was true.

Softly, my Daughter answered. "We were in his room all night long. He didn't leave my side even once. Ask him,"

This is too much. It is too much, to know what my Daughter had been sneaking off to. To know that she had just ruined her reputation. Wordlessly, I stand and leave the table.

I needed to be alone right now.

* * *

I hear Baby's foot steps on the wood floor of the gazebo behind me. I didn't need to see to know it was her. Who else would come looking for me? Her feet stopped next to me.

"I told you I was telling the truth, Daddy," Her voice said. "I'm sorry I lied to you. But you lied, too. You told me everyone was alike, and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who was like you," She said. "You told me you wanted me to change the world, make it better. But you meant by becoming a Lawyer, or an Economist, and marrying someone from Harvard,"

"I'm not proud of myself," Baby continued. "But I'm in this family, too, and you can't keep giving me the silent treatment. There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me. And I love you," She sobbed. "And I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down, too." Tears running down her face, my Daughter walked away. I didn't know where she was going to go, but I had a hunch that she didn't either.

Baby's words sting. They hurt more than a cut. More than a slap to the face. They sting, because I know they are true. I know she is right. What she had said was exactly what I'd wanted for her. I'd never wanted her to go into the Peace Corps. I'd wanted a secure job, and a well off marriage for Baby. But she didn't want that. And as much as I hated it, I couldn't tell her what to do anymore.

This had made it painfully clear that Baby was going to do what she wanted. Right now, it seemed she wanted the Dancer. I knew Baby must have strong feelings for him. She would never sleep with someone she didn't really care about. She would never have revealed Johnny's alibi if she didn't care enough to want to protect him.

And worse still, the Dancer had not revealed that Baby was with him in order to save his own skin. He'd left it to her. Even when his job was on the line, he had undoubtedly been trying to protect Baby. And as much as I wanted to believe that Johnny had no feelings for Baby, this was raring evidence to the contrary.

* * *

 **Yeh, I know. Two versions of the same chapter, three if you count the one I put in The Way I Feel With You. Well, you guys will just have to deal with it, because there's going to be like three different versions of the last dance in this story alone, each from a different perspective. I would hve done this as just one POV, but Jake's perspective was just necessary in general, and Lisa's was necessary with her character line that I set her on in this, which is why this part became two chapters.**


	48. Because Of Me

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Seven

POV Baby

Because Of Me

* * *

I feel a hand on my thigh. I try to ignore it at first, my slumber being far more tempting right now than anything out there, but it was clear that the owner was trying to wake me up, and wasn't going to leave me be. I open my eyes, and roll onto my back. Johnny stood above me, gazing down at me. Looking down with his blue eyes. "I have been looking for you all over," He says. Carefully, I sit up to have a better view of him. I couldn't very well have a conversation lying down. "They found the Schumacher's," Johnny explained. "Fingerprinted their water glasses, and found out they were wanted in Arizona, and Florida, and they made a _fortune_ here this Summer,"

I feel a smile work it's way onto my face. A smile that I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. Everything was okay. Johnny wasn't going to be fired. "So then- so then it's alright," I breathe. I couldn't possibly illustrate how relieved I was. "I knew it would work out! I knew they'd have to apologize!"

I stand, attempting to kiss him. It was all over. Johnny was safe. We didn't need to hide anymore. We could be together!

Johnny stopped me the moment before my lips could touch his. "I'm out, Baby,"

My smile fell. He was out. Out. Now, of all times, I remember the words Max said to Johnny. _Dance with the Daughters. Teach them the Mambo, the Cha-Cha, anything they pay for. But that's it! That's where it ends. No funny business, no conversations, and **keep your hands off!**_

When I speak, my voice is empty. Hollow. "They fired you anyway, because of me," Because of me. Because I loved Johnny too much to let him go to jail innocent for the sake of protecting me. Because Vivian Pressman wanted revenge.

"And if I leave quietly, I'll get my Summer bonus,"

"So I did it for nothing," I spit. Anger ran through me. I pace around the room, feeling it pulse through my veins. After everything I'd done, it didn't even _matter!_ "I hurt my _family,_ you lost your job _anyway,_ I did it for _nothing!"_

Johnny shouted at me, "No! No, not for nothing, Baby!" His words don't reassure me. "Nobody has _ever_ done anything like that for me before," He tells me. But that was all it was. It had changed nothing for the better. Now it was only proof of how far I was willing to go for him. Of how much I loved him.

Of words I would never get to say.

"You were right, Johnny. You can't win, no matter what you do," I say, voice bitter. It was all worthless!

Johnny scolded down at me. "You listen to me," He says. Johnny walked over. "I don't want to hear that from you," He insisted. _"You_ can!"

This whole relationship, I have been the optimistic one. I have been the one believing the world could be better. I was the one who believed that there were good people out there, that even the little things mattered. But now, I was out of steam. I had no more fight left in me. "I used to think so," I feel tears in my eyes, but I don't care enough to while them away. It was over. Johnny was going to leave, and I might never see him again. After all we'd been through, I was still going to lose him. The wall broke, and I feel a hot wetness sliding down my face. "Johnny, what are we going to do?"

Johnny wrapped his arms around me, and presses a kiss to my forehead. I suppose that comforting each other in the time we had left was all that we could do. I breathe into his shirt, smelling his cologne, a smell that had always made me feel safe. Johnny was safety. His blue eyes were my anchor. His arms were reassuring, always protecting me. "I promise you, Baby," He says, voice so much steadier than mine ever could be right now. "We're not going to lose each other. I'm not going to let that happen. We'll find a way to be together,"

I wish I could believe him.


	49. Johnny

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Eight

POV Jake

Johnny

* * *

I answered the door, only to find that Dance Teacher standing there. Johnny. The man who had officially ruined my Daughter's reputation. And worse still, she had done it for him. She had shattered anything left to salvage by giving herself up for him. It was his fault. And Johnny probably didn't even care.

"Doctor Houseman, could I ah..." I scowl at him. He'd already done enough. Couldn't he just get on with it? Did he need to hurt Baby any more? Couldn't he just stay out of our lives, and hurt someone else? Johnny pulled off his sunglasses. "Look, I'm going anyway, and... I know what you must be thinking-"

How dare he! A Dancer came into our lives, took Baby's innocence, and thought he could make presumptions about me? "You don't know anything about me!" I shout. "Anything at all,"

"I know you want Baby to be like you," He answered. It is shocking how true that was. But it could never be, because of him. "You know, the kind of person that does things to make other people look up to them. Well, Doctor Houseman, Baby _is_ like that. I mean, if you could just see-"

"Don't you tell me what to see!" I shout. I didn't want to hear any more about what he thought of my Daughter. I didn't want to feel guilt in what was going to happen to him. It was just easier to believe he had never cared about her. Easier to believe he had seduced her into his bed, than to believe Baby's feelings for him weren't one sided. "I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble, and sent her off to some... butcher, while he moved on to an innocent young girl, like my Daughter,"

Johnny stopped, looking coldly at me. His expression is resigned, clearly stating one thing: Johnny was done here. "Yeah, I guess that's what you would see," He answered icily.

Johnny turned and walked away before I could ask what that meant. I didn't know Johnny. I could shout that he didn't know anything about me, but I didn't know anything about him, either. Only a little.

I knew that just now had been an attempt to make nice. I knew that he had tried to thank me when I helped his friend, and I had refused. After what he had just said, I was wondering, if it was possible if there was more to him than what I had seen. Above all, I knew that when he had been asked for an alibi, he had said nothing about Baby. He had kept their relationship a secret, not wanting to give her up. Even though it meant he would be fired. She had been the one to reveal it. Not him.

Dear God, was it possible that I had just made a horrible mistake?


	50. Goodbye

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Forty Nine

POV Johnny

Goodbye

* * *

"Look, If you just give me _five minutes_ to pack, then I can go along with you,"

 _"No,_ I don't want you to lose the gig here,"

In a frustrated voice, Penny continued to try to coerce me into letting her come along. I wasn't going to let her. She hadn't done anything wrong. Penny shouldn't have to leave this job just because I did. "Johnny, you're the one who says this place is like a dinosaur," She groaned. "Look, Tito gave me a new record. We can learn a new Tango routine," The Rockette hopefully tried to entice me.

"Penny," I laugh. It is bittersweet. I had been here with Penny for a long time. If I ever got another job dancing, it would be with a new partner. "You _are_ the best. You are,"

I move to hug my friend, but she pushed me away. "Don't make me cry, asshole," She warned, eyes filling with tears in a lost cause. Penny and I were like family. It was us against the world. Always had been. And now we were being separated. I ignored her words, and hug my friend tightly, tight as I can.

"I will see you in a few weeks," I promise. The staff was always granted one week of leave. Penny and I always took ours around the first week of October, going to visit family and such.

I close the trunk, and walk around to the passenger side of the car, where Baby stood waiting for me. I toss my jacket and keys through the open window, and leaned against the side of the car. "Well."

"I can't imagine being here without you, even one day," She tells me. I couldn't even imagine being without her: period. This was what I had been afraid of, when we got together. Of having real feelings, of needing her. Then all of a sudden, something happened, and we had to leave each other. And it had been exactly what happened. It was far too late to tell her I loved her now. It would hurt too much.

In an attempt to lighten the conversation, I try for a halfhearted joke. "Well, I just think you'll have more time for Horseshoes and Croquet," I remember now, of all times, that when Baby first came here, she was the Magician's victim. "Maybe they'll saw you in to seven pieces now,"

"I guess we surprised everybody," Baby laughed. It is a faux, bittersweet laugh, and I know she is only doing it because if she didn't, she would cry.

"I guess we did," I answer. Baby gave a short laugh at my response. I really don't know what to say to her. I never thought any of this would happen, falling in love with her, and then being forced to leave her. It feels like what has been said is not enough, like I should say more. She deserves so much more than what I have said. So much more than what I could ever give her. But I also can't tell her the truth; that I loved her more than anyone I'd ever known.

Baby put her hands to my waist. She leant over, tipping her head into my chest. My chin pressed into her curls, touching her hair for what may very well be the last time. I run my hand up and down her shoulder. "I'll never be sorry," I tell her.

Baby straightened, brown eyes meeting blue. "Neither will I," She says.

Neither will I.

My hands slip over the skin of her neck. I want to beg her to come with me, but I know that she can't. I might never seen Baby again. I touch my lips to hers. I'm my head, I tell her that I love her. I pray with every thought that she knew, that she could tell how much I loved her.

The kiss broke. "I'll see you," I tell her. I walk around to the driver's side of the car, and climb in, steeling myself for what I must do. I took a breath, and start the engine. As I drove out, time seemed to move slower, and I have to stop myself from looking back at her.

I was dead inside.

Every part of me was screaming in agony, dying for one more look, one more touch, one last word. Burning to hold her one last time. It was torment, to drive away from her, when every nerve in me was telling me to turn around and go back to her. To never let her go. But I could not.

And it was killing me.

* * *

 **Hi, guys. Not the happiest, I know. These few chapters leading up to the big dance at the end will all be pretty short, fair warning.**


	51. Empathy

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty

POV Marje

Empathy

* * *

Of all the things I had expected to happen at Kellerman's, this was the last thing I had thought might happen. I had hoped Jake and Lisa would become closer, and they had. I had thought Lisa would find a boy, and she had. I had hoped Baby would find one, and she did. Just not the type of boy I would have expected. I hadn't expected for a wedge to be driven between Jake and my Daughter. I hadn't expected Baby to start a relationship with a Dance Instructor, of all people.

But I could relate. I knew what it was like to lose love, from when Gabriel left me. I knew that Baby was in love with this Johnny character. So much in love that she'd given up their relationship to help him, despite his wanting to keep it secret, even if it meant losing his job. And it hadn't helped anything. He had been fired anyway. Johnny left this afternoon.

And so, Baby was heartbroken. I could see it in every movement she made. I could see it in the way she leaned against the porch railing of our cabin. I could see it in her eyes, could see them searching for something that wasn't there. Most of all, I could see it in the way her eyes glossed over, not seeing the landscape at Kellerman's, but seeing Johnny. Seeing the man she had fallen in love with. I had done exactly the same thing when Gabriel left.

I walked over. Dismissively, she said, "Ma, please. You don't understand,"

"No, Baby. You don't," I tell her. I remembered the pain I'd felt when Gabriel left. I remembered it like yesterday. Baby rolled her eyes, but I keep talking. "I know about this. I really know," I tell her, thinking that maybe she will start listening, but she doesn't. In fact, she seemed to be putting _more_ effort into ignoring me. "When I was your age," I began, still a little reserved about telling her this. But it didn't matter now, because she needed to hear this. "I was in love with someone else before your Father. And when it ended, it hurt so bad, I thought I'd die of it. But I didn't. And I didn't wreck everyone else's lives in the process either,"

"I'm not wrecking people's lives," Baby stated coldly. The pain of heartbreak was numbing to the things around you. You didn't think about your family. All you could feel was your own misery. I knew it all too well.

"Yes, you are," I argue. "You're Father is disappointed in you, and Lisa is positively miserable!"

"Dad is disappointed because I fell in love with someone who wasn't up to his standards," Baby commented angrily. "I told him that I wasn't proud of myself, and by that I meant the way I lied to him. Not my relationship with Johnny. And for your information, Lisa is miserable! You know why? You haven't seen her and Robbie hanging around, lately, have you. Wonder why? Lisa caught him having sex with Vivian Pressman," I say. I feel my eyebrows raise into my hair. Vivian Pressman? Robbie cheated on Lisa with a woman who was old enough to be his Mother? "Yeah," Baby spat vehemently. "He broke her heart. Now we both know how it feels."

Before I have the chance to speak, my Daughter continued with her rant. "You know, the ironic thing, is Lisa falls for a guy who has everything, and people are shocked when he breaks her heart. No one can see how awful he is, because they're blinded by the money, and Medical School, and the charm. But here I am, in love with a Dancer who has almost nothing. Everyone thinks he's awful simply because he's poor, and angry at the world for the things it does. And my heart got broken," She said in a bitter voice. "Not because he was unfaithful, but because he was fired for loving me. Because Mr. Kellerman can't let someone who isn't a Waiter date the guests, because he wasn't good enough for _anybody_ but me."

My head thinks that there are several people who would disagree with that but my heart knows that wasn't what she meant. Baby meant that she was the only one who accepted him for who he was. Who didn't think he needed to change or try to be better. Her words sting. She was right.

"Mom, you don't know how it feels," She told me. "Not unless the person you loved was poor, and none of your family accepted him because of that. You can't know unless you didn't want to leave each other, but were forced to," For a brief moment, she seemed to forget how mad she was at us all. "What _did_ happen?" She asks.

I release a sigh, remembering my time with Gabriel. It had been wonderful, with all the bliss people had in a new relationship. I had been head over heels in love with him. And I had thought he felt the same. But he didn't. It had all been a fun pass time for him until he found someone he really wanted. Without emotion, I try to illustrate our time together as best I can. "He got a better offer," I say. "I gave my heart to him, and he threw it away. He found someone prettier, with more money, and dumped me."

Baby spoke. "In that case, you should talk to Lisa. That's her problem. I have to live with knowing that he was fired because of _me._ Of knowing that I never _once_ told him I loved him. You might know what lost love feels like, Mom. But not like this. They were completely different circumstances."

I shut my eyes. Now that she explained, I was hating myself for trying to compare the two. When I was Baby's age, if someone had tried to tell me the same thing about Gabriel, I would've been worse. Much worse. And where Gabriel had never really cared about me, that wasn't true for Johnny. Johnny had been presented with the choice of his job or protecting Baby. And he had chosen her. For him to do that, he needed to care about her more than he cared about himself.

Baby had admitted that she loved him. And I knew that weight of not telling him how she felt was something she would regret for a long time. She might never truly get over it.

But what stung more, was the thought that the feelings were mutual. That while Baby was here lamenting her broken relationship, about two hours down the road, Johnny was doing the same.


	52. The Road

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty One

POV Johnny

The Road

* * *

I couldn't get her out of my head. Two hours ago, I had left Kellerman's. Left Baby, the woman I loved. And I still couldn't stop thinking about her. I saw her everywhere, in everything. Even now, I could remember how on the way back from the Sheldrake, I had snuck peeks at he while she changed. I remembered her catching me. I remembered how we'd kept on trying to steal glances at each other. I remembered that when I helped her out, I'd held her hand. I'd held it needlessly, but she hadn't let go. It was like she wanted me to hold her hand. That had been the first moment I realized for certain that she liked me too. I wanted to kiss her in that moment, and if Billy hadn't interrupted, I probably would've.

That had been back when kissing her had only been a dream. Before I realized just how deep my feelings ran. I'd never been able to tell her I loved her.

I couldn't stop hearing her voice. _Fight harder._ I remembered our argument in the woods.

 _"I don't think they saw us," Baby says quietly, and I stand up. She follows, suit. Baby was telling me to fight harder, make them listen. And she wouldn't even tell her Father about us. Baby wouldn't fight for what we had, make her Father listen, see the truth._

 _I wanted Doctor Houseman to know about us. I wanted him to know I was in love with Baby. I wanted for her to not have to sneak into my cabin, or lie about where she was going in order to see me. "Fight harder, huh?" I ask her bitterly. "I don't see you fighting so hard, Baby. I don't see you running up to Daddy, telling him I'm your guy,"_

 _"Look, I will. I... with my Father, it's complicated. I will tell him, I-" Rage fills me, and I cut her off. That was a lousy excuse. Everyone uses 'It's complicated,'._

 _"I don't believe you, Baby," I look away, the pain I feel finally coming through. "I don't think that you **ever** had **any** intention of telling him. Ever."_

My whole life, people had told me I wasn't good enough. Even if they didn't say the words directly. Max had done it. My Father had, Neil had, Baby's Father had, and so had countless other employers.

But she was the only one who thought I was. She was the only one who had ever told me to fight back. The only woman I had ever loved, and the only one I ever would. Baby was it for me.

 _Fight harder._

Baby had fought for me. She protected me, when no one else would, even though I was trying to protect her by keeping our relationship secret. I had wanted her to fight for us, and tell her Father. And she had. But now, I was walking away, without a fight. The exact opposite of what she'd told me to do. I was letting our relationship crumble. Something I had promised her wouldn't happen. But now, I was breaking it. I hadn't fought for Baby.

Well, dammit, I was going to fight for her now!

I turn down the nearest exit, knowing what I had to do.


	53. Slipping Away

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty Two

POV Max

Slipping Away

* * *

"Hei, landsman, vos hert zikh mit dir?" Tito's voice said from behind me. Yiddish words for 'Hey, compatriot, what's to hear with you?' Tito had been here as long as I had, from the very beginning. It wasn't surprising that he had picked up Yiddish over the years.

"Freg nisht," I responded, which meant, 'Don't ask.' I'd been playing this game for 40 years. Friends had come and gone all year long, staff changed out, but I was always here. And for the first time... I was bored. "You and me, Tito, we've seen it all, eh? Bubbah and Zeda serving the first pasteurized milk to the boarders. Through the war years when we didn't have any meat. Through the depression when we didn't have anything."

"Lots of changes though, Max," Tito commented. The Conductor had aged well. He was still skinny as a broom, sharp as ever, and no arthritis had set in yet, or so he said. Me... not so much. "Lots of changes."

I rubbed a palm across my face. The game had become exhausting. I couldn't keep up anymore, try as I might. "It's not the changes so much this time, Tito... it's- it's that it all seems to be ending," I sigh. We'd already lost 10% of our average business from last year. Fewer kids were applying to work here. And now, I needed to find a new Dance Instructor for the rest off the year. I'd never told him, but Johnny really had been the best Dancer I'd ever seen. "You think kids want to come with their Parents and take _Fox Trot lessons?_ Trips to Europe, that's what the kids want. Twenty-two countries in three days," I said with an exasperated eye roll. "It feels like it's all slipping away,"

* * *

 **Another disclaimer: I have no idea if Tito and Max are actually speaking Yiddish in the beginning of this scene. My source on that one, I don't believe is 100% reliable, and I'm not Jewish, so I don't know if that really is Yiddish, but I do believe that what I have written here is more of a pronunciation guide for those of us who are unfamiliar with the language.**

 **It would make historical sense for there to be some who speak Yiddish at Kellerman's, given that WWII had been over for nearly 20 years at that point, and many Jewish People probably left Europe during that time period.**

 **So, I'm not 100% sure on how accurate this is, but if any of my readers know better, if you can understand what Max and Tito are saying in that scene, or speak Yiddish (Or, for all I know, this could be Hebrew, because as said, I'm not Jewish, and I don't entirely trust my source for this, so I wouldn't know.) Feel free to correct me on this if you have a better understanding on this subject than I do (or rather don't)**


	54. Medical School

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty Three

POV Jake

Medical School

* * *

 _Kellerman's, we come together,_

 _Singing all as one,_

 _We have shared another season's_

 _Talent, play, and fun,_

 _Summer days will soon be over,_

 _Soon the Autumn starts,_

 _And tonight, the memories whisper,_

 _Softly in our hearts_

 _Join hands, and hearts, and voices,_

 _Voices, hearts and hands,_

 _At Kellerman's the memories last long as the mountain stands,_

Bursting with pride, Lisa stepped up for her solo. Her high, warbling voice rang out through the theater, _"Daytime, night time, any hour,_

 _Wether rain or shine,_

 _Games and lectures, jokes and music,_

 _Happily combine,"_

Marje and I shook our heads, with a smile. Our Lisa was certainly something else.

 _Join hands, and hearts, and voices,_

 _Voices, hearts and hands,_

When I see Robbie walking past, I stand up. I was going to help him on his way through Medical School, one Doctor to the next. "Robbie!" I call, reaching into my jacket pocket. The boy turned, and stopped. I pull out the check. "Good luck in Medical School, son." Robbie looked down as I put the check into his hands.

Robbie looked up at me and grinned. "And I wanted to thank you for your help with the Penny situation," He says. What? What was Robbie talking about? "I guess we've all gotten into messes like these," He continued.

"What?" I ask, in a dazed voice that is foreign to me. Please tell me he wasn't trying to say what I thought he was.

Robbie laughed, like it didn't matter. "I thought Baby told you," He says. "Look, I'm not sure." I frowned. "I mean, Penny said so, but you know, with girls like that, they're liable to pin it on any guy around,"

I snatch the check back from him, and stalk back to my seat, leaving Robbie standing there, aghast. I can't believe I was going to help this bastard! How had I been so fooled? He had been dating my Lisa!

No, I knew exactly how I'd been fooled. Johnny had taken responsibility for Penny when he didn't have to. He'd stepped up, because Robbie never would've claimed it. And he knew what I was going to think.

Now, I knew the meaning of those words he'd said to me on the porch this afternoon.

 _"Don't you tell me what to see!" I shout. I didn't want to hear any more about what he thought of my Daughter. I didn't want to feel guilt in what was going to happen to him. It was just easier to believe he had never cared about her. Easier to believe he had seduced her into his bed, than to believe Baby's feelings for him weren't one sided. "I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble, and sent her off to some... butcher, while he moved on to an innocent young girl, like my Daughter,"_

 _Johnny stopped, looking coldly at me. His expression is resigned, clearly stating one thing: Johnny was done here. "Yeah, I guess that's what you would see," He answered icily._

Johnny hadn't gotten Penny in trouble. And he did have real feelings for Baby. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. In fact, I strongly suspected that Johnny was in love with her. And when he'd tried to make nice, to talk to me, for Baby's sake, I'd turned him away. The man my Daughter loved.

I may as well have broken her heart myself.

 _...and hearts, and voices,_

 _Voices, hearts and hands,_

 _At Kellerman's the memories last long as the mountain stands,_

 _Not a stress or strain is found here_

 _For it must be said,_

 _Here at Kellerman's you gladened,_

 _Stomach, heart and head,_

Finally, Max moved out from backstage, and started his solo, _"So let's join in just one last chorus,_

 _Visitors, staff and guests._

 _What we've shared won't be forgotten,_

 _Old friends are the best."_

 _Join hands, and hearts, and voices,_

 _Voices, hearts and hands,_

 _At Kellerman's the memories last long as the mountain stands,_

I glance at Baby. Her face was a mask of boredom, but I could tell that she was heartbroken. As much as I tried to deny it, Baby had fallen in love with Johnny. And I had turned him away because of an assumption. I didn't even know him. I hadn't tried to talk to Max. I had all but said to him, "And don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out,"

But all of a sudden Johnny was behind me.

Baby sat up straight, watching him, Brown eyes wide. I couldn't decide if she was afraid, or just shocked. Johnny looked down at us. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," He said. Johnny offered Baby a hand. "Come on,"

My Daughter stood up unquestionably and followed him down the aisle. I abruptly stood in an attempt to follow him. Just because I knew the truth about Johnny didn't mean that I thought he was worthy of Baby. I honestly doubted I would ever consider anyone worthy of her. I needed to know what Johnny wanted out of their relationship. I wasn't going to just let him take my Daughter, though in reality it had been a fight that I lost long ago.

I feel Marje's hand on my arm. "Jake," She said softly. "Let them go. Let her do this," Reluctantly, I sat.

As Johnny and Baby climbed the stairs to the stage, The anthem steadily silenced, Lisa being the last to stop singing. Johnny and Baby stood at the center of the stage in front of a whole theatre. "Sorry about the disruption, folks," Johnny said. "But I always do the last dance of the season. And this year, somebody told me not to. So I'm going to do my kind of dancing, with great partner, who's not only a terrific Dancer, but somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them. Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Miss Frances Houseman."

Baby couldn't dance. I had seen her dance with Neil, she was awful. I knew firsthand from having her step on my feet. She didn't like to dance, she didn't know how.

Baby couldn't dance.

Well, dammit, no man was going to make a fool of my Daughter in front of a crowd this size. No matter how smitten she was with him. I stood up, feeling an immediate desire to protect my Daughter, my Baby. But Marje stopped me. "Sit down, Jake," She said sternly.

"Why?" I ask. "Why should I? Why should I let that man take Baby? Why should I let him make a fool of her in front of all these people?"

Marie gazed up at me, eyes sharp as daggers. "Because he loves her," She says. I look down submissively. "He loves her, and she loves him, and you knew that. You knew it for a long time. You knew it before he left, when he tried to apologize. And you turned him away,"

I sit. Marje wasn't going to let me up there, and as the lights dimmed and everyone scooted offstage, I knew I had missed my window. I was helpless to do anything but watch.

"Isn't this exciting?" Lisa whispered fiercely, having just gotten back here from the stage. Quietly, she sat down in a chair next to Marje.

"Did you know about this?" I ask her accusingly.

Lisa glanced furtively to me. "Do you mean what's going on now or that they were seeing each other?"

"You knew they were seeing each other before Baby confessed!" I hiss.

"Shh!" Marje and her scold.

"Lisa-"

"Shh!" My eldest Daughter hissed again, pointing to the stage, where the music had started. Baby stood in the center of the stage, watching Johnny, who was off to the side. Beckoning, he walked over to her.

I know that once the dancing starts, there will be no chance of saying anything, so before it can, I mutter in a hushed tone the one thing I thought she needed to hear, "Robbie-"

"Yes, I know," Lisa insisted, not bothering to look at me through her explanation. "Robbie's a scumbag. Now, shut up." Quickly, I turn to the stage. No one wanted to hear me, now that Baby and Johnny were up onstage.

Johnny stepped closer to Baby, hands settling in at her waist, her's at his shoulder. Then, in one swift motion, Johnny dipped her back. Behind me, I hear a chorus of cheers, catcalls, and wolf whistles coming from a crowd of staff kids in the back.

Steadily, Baby rose, and turned to face the crowd, Johnny stepping behind her. Delicately, he guided her arm up behind his head. Johnny's hand slipped down Baby's torso, brushing the side of her breast. As a Father, I felt a surge of protectiveness run through me, and then it passed.

As Johnny's hand settled into an embrace around my Daughter, Baby's hand fell into his. Baby looked up at him, and for a half second, I could see that her whole world was in Johnny's eyes. Delicately, Johnny kissed her nose. The gesture said one thing, that he loved my Daughter.

And then they started to dance.

Baby twirled away from Johnny like a ballerina, and in half a second was back in his arms. They step to the same pattern, back and forth. Johnny twirled her again to face the crowd. Arms around their shoulders, coy grins on their face, they repeat that same rhythm. Two, three, four.

After several spins, the pair danced over to the other side of the stage. "This is catchy," I hear Lisa muse in regards to the music, who smiled and bopped her head to the beat. Johnny and Baby synchronized their hand movements, and then danced back and center. Johnny lead her in front of him, changing directions as they walked, seeming spontaneous.

Baby twirled again, and then stepped to the side, once left, once right, curls swaying with her motion. Next, the pair came back into that same, two, three, four, motion. "I think she gets this from me," Marje grinned. I glance back at her, not quite sure to what she had been referring. I didn't remember Marje ever mentioning being involved in the performing arts in her youth.

Simultaneously, each of the Dancers spun, Johnny moving around Baby while she twirled at the center. Together, they swiveled in a circle, making even that odd motion look graceful. An underarm turn followed, next by them spinning as one.

And then the frame dropped. Baby's hand rested at the back of Johnny's neck, his arm around her waist, and gracefully, they turned in a circle. Baby twirled once separately, and was pulled back to Johnny. He froze onstage. I could see that even from the back of the room. Johnny stood there, breathing hard, face an inch from my Daughter's, desperately looking like he wanted to kiss her.

Somewhere in the back, one of the staff kids whistled.

Thankfully, he thought better of it. The stage was no place for that, not in the middle of a performance, while everyone was watching. In a flash, the moment was over, Baby being spun furiously back in and out. This time, when she came in, my Daughter laughed, looking up at the tall Dance Instructor with a look of pure and utter adoration on her face. In all my years of being her Father, not once had I ever seen her smile like that. I had never, ever made her that happy.

At Johnny's insistence, she moved to the other side, and back into the basic. They broke twice, once facing the crowd, once not. Then yet another underarm turn. Johnny pulled her to him, and, I shuddered, pressed his hips into hers, swinging them to the music.

The staff loved it.

The pair turned together, then Johnny picked her up and twirled her around. He brought her around to the other side and twirled her again. I imagine that by now, she was incredibly dizzy. With barely a moment's notice, she was back on the other side, Johnny kissing her hand like a gentleman. And then, like some wild thing, Johnny lept off the stage.

I smiled. Baby could dance. Not only that, but she was amazing. This was what he had shown her, among other things. But why was it so obviously choreographed? This wasn't the type of thing you just improvised. Baby would have no reason to learn anything choreographed, unless she'd been performing, and it wasn't as if she'd had this planned. The expression of shock on her face at Johnny's appearance tonight was proof of that.

Johnny twirled in midair, and landed in the aisle. Quickly, he glanced back at Baby, who laughed at his antics. At his own pace, Johnny strutted down the aisle, incorporating kicks, side steps, and yes, dirty dancing. Johnny looked back at her again, as if searching for some sign of approval, or like he had sensed her smile and laughter, and had only wanted to see it.

Johnny sunk to his knees and spun around the floor on said joints. He tipped his head back and shimmied to the music, really getting into it. Then, Johnny jumped to his feet excitedly, and began rallying the staff, who had been cheering him on this whole time. Soon there was a mob of dancers behind him, all doing the same steps in sync.

About three quarters down the aisle, Johnny stopped, while the rest of the staff worked their way up to the stage. Johnny gazed up at my Daughter, asking her some question that the rest of us didn't understand. Like he was planning to do something inherently risky. I tense when Baby grinned down at him, and nodded.

While the staff helped Baby off the stage, Johnny ran backwards, putting distance between him and my Daughter. Once he stopped, Baby ran for him, gathering speed. When she was in arms reach, Baby leapt, and Johnny lifted her into the air, over his head. Baby beamed brighter than the sun, and so did Johnny, proud of her in ways I doubted I comletely understood.

'Nobody puts Baby in a corner,' he'd said. '... my kind of dancing...'

There were still so many things I didn't understand about Johnny Castle. So many things I probably never would. But I understood this. This was the thing he'd made so blatantly obvious: he loved Baby.

Johnny's kind of dancing was modern, yet still had the charm of ballroom. Thrown into it were a hodgepodge of other styles, Cuban, and Mambo, and dirty. It was gracefull, and he made it look classy even through the dirty moments, and combining it all together just made it into a style all his own. Another thing any fool could see about 'his kind of dancing': it completely idolized my Daughter.

For so many years, Baby had rarely been the center of people's attention. Even I was guilty of putting her on the back burner from time to time, because I knew she could handle it. Then came along Johnny, who quite literally danced into her life. And he kept her at the center of his attention, something the both of them appeared all too happy with. Johnny had been able to tap into Baby's hidden talent, one not Baby or anyone else but him could see. And she had loved him for it.

I was now certain, this was Johnny's way of telling the world he loved Baby. Even if he hadn't told her yet. This was Johnny expressing just what he thought about Baby: that she deserved to be kept front and center, something none of us had seen until now.

The whole crowd burst into applause. As gently as possible, Johnny lowered her back to the ground. The couple hugged each other tightly before launching into a more simple, and far less choreographed, dance. "That was amazing!" Lisa exclaimed.

"She's wonderful!" Marje agreed joyfully.

I could only smile. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

* * *

"Doctor Houseman!" A voice called behind me. When I turn, it is Penny I find behind me, grinning brightly. Her hair was nicely pleated, and she wore an off the shoulder red shirt with black polka dots. I was pleased to see that she looked much better than the last time I saw her. "I just wanted to thank you, before you leave Tomorrow. I can't stress enough how grateful I am to you and Baby for doing what you did."

"It was nothing, dear," I smiled. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Anyway, I hope that you and Baby stop fighting after this," She grinned, "And I know you might not believe what I'm going to say, but I owe it to them," Penny nodded to the side, where Baby and Johnny were dancing, "To tell you. I know you think he's the one who got me in trouble, but he's not. We've been best friends since we were kids, so being a couple would be like kissing a Sibling. Johnny's the closest thing I have to family, which is why he took responsibility for me. It's not like the Father was going to-"

"I know it was Robbie," I stop her, before she can get too much into the defense of her friend. "And, believe me when I tell you how sorry I am,"

Penny threw her arms around me in a tight embrace. "Thank you," She smiled. The gesture startled me, but I return it after a few moments, responding to her affectionate gesture. I truly was glad she was alright. Penny had to have been right around nineteen or twenty, the same age Lisa was. It would have been too hard for me to sit by and not look after her. Like letting one of my Daughters suffer.

"Any time, my dear," I assure her. "Any time,"

* * *

Upon spying Johnny and Baby hurrying to the door, I walk after them, hoping to catch them before they left. Johnny and Baby were young and in love, and each of them wore identical, stupidly lovestruck, anticipating grins. I highly doubted they were going to take a walk together. In fact, I doubted that if they walked out that door, I wouldn't see either of them until tomorrow, and my chance to apologize to Johnny would have ended.

Just before they make it out, I catch Johnny's arm, stopping the pair. "I know you weren't the one who got Penny in trouble,"

"Yeah," Johnny said in response, face not betraying one thought going on behind his eyes.

"When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong," I concede. And I could not have been more wrong about Johnny Castle. He was none of the things I had originally thought about him. I look to Baby. I could never have taught her the things she had done up on that stage. Only Johnny could have, which was probably one of the reasons why she loved him. "You looked wonderful out there," I say to her. It is all I can say, because I didn't have the words to communicate just what I thought about her dancing. My Daughter beamed up at me, and gave me a hug.

When I release her, I excuse myself, saying, "If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Max," And walk away to do so.

I needed to get Johnny his job back.


	55. Billy

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty Four

POV Lisa

Billy

* * *

"Sorry about the disruption, folks," Johnny's voice said to the audience from where he and Baby stood at the center of the stage. "But I always do the last dance of the season. And this year, somebody told me not to." Boy, was that the understatement of the year. Johnny hadn't just been asked not to do the Final Dance, he'd been fired. He'd left Kellerman's.

Johnny glanced at Baby, who stood at his side, and didn't look like she was too sure of what was going on. "So I'm going to do my kind of dancing," He said, "With great partner, who's not only a terrific Dancer, but somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them. Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Miss Frances Houseman."

Johnny picked up the microphone and walked offstage with it. Many of those who'd been in the show walked offstage, myself included, eager to see exactly what Johnny had up his sleeve. One of the staff backstage turned out the stage lights, leaving Baby standing onstage in the dark, by herself. I hurry back to Mom and Dad's table, so I won't miss a second.

Baby couldn't dance, it occurred to me as I walked back. I'd seen her try, and quite frankly, she sucked. And Johnny thought she was a 'Terrific Dancer,' But then, he did teach people to dance. And he and Baby had probably danced at some point. Perhaps he had given her a crash course in dancing? In any case, I thought, seeing a spotlight land on Baby, I couldn't wait to find out.

"Isn't this exciting?" I whisper to Mom and Dad as I reach their table, and sit down beside Mom before turning my attention back to the stage.

"Did you know about this?" Dad asked me with a suspicious glare.

I quickly look at him, not wanting to miss what was going on up there. "Do you mean what's going on now, or that they were seeing each other?"

"You knew that they were seeing each other before Baby confessed!"

"Shh!" Mom and I answer in unison.

Dad began to protest, "Lisa-"

"Shh!" I cut him off, more insistently. I suppose I had known she was seeing someone, days before she'd fessed up. But I hadn't known it was Johnny until an hour or two before. So dad gets the idea, I pointed at the stage. Johnny was slowly walking over to Baby, beckoning to her where she stood in the center of the stage. Music was playing, and my ears pick up that it was the song _The Time Of My Life_.

In the hopes that he could get at least a few words in edgewise before we are too captivated by Baby and her boyfriend, Dad starts, "Robbie-"

Oh. That. "Yes, I know," I say quietly, not looking away from the stage. "Robbie's a scumbag. Now, shut up." With my words, at last, my Father looked to the stage.

Johnny stood inches away from Baby, hands around her waist. My Sister's hands rested at the Dance Instructor's shoulder. Without a second's warning, he dipped her back, earning a series of cheers and whistles in the back from the less high end staff. When Baby had risen, she stepped around so she was facing the audience, and glanced at Johnny over her shoulder, who stepped behind her, head peeking out behind the window of her shoulder.

Gently, Johnny grabbed my Sister's wrist, and took her arm up, wrapping it behind his head. Johnny's hand fell down Baby's side, brushing against her torso. Dad stiffened beside me, protective of her. Their hands settled together at Baby's waist, and a loving look was shared between the two. Johnny affectionately kissed her nose.

Johnny spun her away from him, holding her hand, and then pulled her back in, beginning the basic count to some dance I didn't know, immediately livening things up. Gracefully, she did an underarm turn and an open break, and in barely a blink she was facing the crowd, the pair stepping forward and back in synchronization.

They flawlessly returned to the basic, incorporating a few flashy kicks and side steps into it, before making their way right on the stage. "This is catchy," I say quietly, thinking of the music choice. I groove along to the music.

The Dancers kicked in unison, stepped back, and swiveled left, right, then left again, before turning ridiculously fast and making their way to the left side of the stage. Johnny turned Baby, then he turned, and led her in a basic without frame, in front of him, and then they changed directions with a few rather elaborate swirls. Baby swayed to the music as she did a few side steps, arms over her head.

After one count of the basic and an open break, Johnny lead her into a spot turn. "I think she gets this from me," Our Mother said with a smile, which only appeared to confuse my Father. I didn't blame him. It confused me, too.

Baby continued to twirl, hand held high over her head, spinning on the edge of the circle Johnny was walking. He pulled her back into frame, and I wonder how she wasn't too dizzy to see straight. They swiveled together, having fun at their dancing. There was another underarm turn, another open break, and a spot turn, the two seeming to move faster now.

Then the frame dropped, and they walked in a circle around each other, barely touching, his arm around her waist, hers at the back of his neck, free arms trailing behind them. They were so different, but those two just fit. Like yin and yang.

Johnny spun her once by herself, and then pulled her right to him, and for a moment, they were both still, and so close, and breathless. Johnny wanted to kiss my Sister, I realized. But he didn't. Instead, he spun her out, and back in again, and Baby laughed from joy, happier than I've ever seen her.

He guided her through a cross body lead, and two outside breaks, before another turn, and Johnny pulled her to him, wearing a goofy grin when he swung his hips to the music, taking hers with them, a sort of dancing that was incredibly modern and not what people generally considered appropriate.

I thought it looked like fun.

They did a few walks, and then a spot turn, when Johnny lifted her off the stage, and turned with her in his arms. Immediately after landing, she turned, and did an open break, then spinning to his opposite side. Johnny kissed her hand, and then took a running leap off the stage.

He landed, then jumped again, spinning twice in the air, and landing back in the aisle. He looked back at Baby, who laughed at him showing off. Steadily, her boyfriend walked down the aisle, kicking and turning, having fun with it, sliding on the floor, spinning. Like I said. Showing off. Once he reached the end of the aisle, he turned, and the rest of the staff joined him, dancing back down the aisle together, towards my Sister.

Midway through the aisle, Johnny stopped, looking up at Baby, while the rest of the dancers kept on moving. Baby nodded, beaming at him with certainty. Two staff men helped her off the stage as Johnny ran back to gain distance. Baby ran for him after he stopped, and at the last second before she ran into him, Johnny grabbed her hips, and lifted her up, high over his head. Baby grinned with joy when she was up there, her turn to show off to everyone.

The whole room applauded at the lift, all of them. Carefully, Johnny lowered Baby down from the air back to the floor, and the two of them shared a tight hug, laughing, looking happy together, and altogether, very much in love. They started dancing again, among the crowd of other dancers, which was rapidly having guests join in.

"That was amazing!" I said in wonder after the lift.

"She's wonderful!" Mom grinned. She was. Baby was so much better now than she had been. Dad could only smile at the incredible feat his youngest Daughter had done. That made me smile, too.

* * *

"Do you want to dance?" A boy about my age asked me as everyone else was starting to dance too, young and old, family and friend, staff and guest. He looked familiar to me, his voice was one I'd heard before. Thick red hair, tall, thin, friendly, bright smile. Green eyes, and a South Philadelphia accent. And then it hit me.

"Billy, right?" I venture cautiously. He was our Porter when we first got here. I remember him watching me, even if I'd hardly thought anything of it at the time.

"Yeah," Billy laughed with a smile. "I didn't think you'd remember me,"

"I wouldn't usually," I admitted. I never really thought much about the non Wait staff at Kellerman's, but I do remember Billy, if only because I caught him staring at me and thought it was sweet. I remember thinking that he was cute, but not holding out for him, because Dad would've wanted me to date a Doctor, someone important. "But you seemed to make an impression," I admitted cautiously.

"Is that a yes, then?" Billy grinned. I smile back, offering him my hand. Billy walked me out to our own spot on the floor.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm not exactly the greatest of a Dancer," I said nervously, eyeing my feet. "I'm not my Sister," I add jokingly, nodding to where she was dancing with Johnny.

"Well, that's okay," Billy said, taking my hands in his. "Because I'm not my Cousin, either."

"Oh, who's your Cousin?" Billy gestured to Johnny. _"He's_ your Cousin?" I ask, wide eyed. Billy nodded.

"Does that mean you don't want to dance with me anymore? Because your Sister is dating my Cousin?" Billy asked me shyly. I shook my head. "Good. Now, I'm not a bad Dancer, but I'm definitely no Johnny."

"Well, I've never danced like this before," I admit, looking around at the other couples. "I knew a little bit when it came to Ballroom, but even then, I was just okay."

"That's fine," Billy nodded, stepping to the side of me. "Now, you want to shuffle your feet to the music, and keep your knees bent, so you're using your hips." Obeying Billy's instructions, we shuffle along to the music, and I try to use my hips as best I can. "Right," Billy said. "Like that. Now, instead of doing it side by side, we're gonna try it face to face. Okay?" I nodded.

Billy stepped in front of me, and took both of my hands. As the song went on, I eventually began to get the hang of this type of dancing, and Billy and I started dancing a little bit closer. "So, what's their story?" I ask, nodding at Baby and Johnny who were dancing a little ways behind us. Billy looked over his shoulder to see who I was talking about. "I've known that Baby was sneaking out to see someone for a few days, but I didn't know it was him until an hour or two before Baby admitted that she was his alibi."

"And how'd you figure that out?" Billy questioned, a curious expression on his face.

"I may have caught her trying to sneak back in this morning, and guilted it out of her,"

"Nice," Billy nodded. "I can't tell it all to you, cause I wasn't there for most of it. What I do know is that the first night your family got here, after the thing with the Magician, Baby took a walk, and she made it into the staff quarters. She ran in to me, and wanted to help, since I had some rather heavy things to get to the storage facility. I knew her being there could get me fired, but I trusted her and took her with me. Inside the storage facility, we have these big dance parties. Like this, only a lot less clean.

"Anyway, Johnny was there, and he and Penny were showing off. But eventually, he noticed Baby, and after a bit he pulled her out to the floor to dance with her. She was terrified," Billy laughed. "No clue how to dance, and the Hotel Dance Instructor, who is so good looking it's not fair to the rest of us, comes up to her and drags her to the middle of the floor so he can teach her dirty dancing,"

"Wow," I laugh quietly. "I'll bet she was terrified. Until very recently, Baby sucked at dancing,"

"Yeah," Billy grinned. "Now, something happens, I can't tell you what, but Penny, the other Dance Instructor, needed a Doctor. But none of us can afford it, and he's only available the same night her and Johnny do this Mambo act at the Sheldrake Hotel. No one can fill in, and they get fired if they don't do it. Somehow, Baby found out about this. She came up with the money, and agreed to fill in, which meant that Johnny had to teach her to do all this stuff in about a week.

"So he teaches her," Billy adds. "Now it was fairly obvious that Baby had a big crush on Johnny before he started teaching her to dance. But eventually, it becomes clear to me that he likes her, too. So here these two are, making eyes at one another, dancing around the studio, with no clue that the other one likes them back."

"How could you tell that Johnny liked her?" I ask. I remember seeing how Baby acted around him, from the day at the wig stand, though I didn't think anything of it. She'd been curious and oh, so infatuated.

"Well, he's my Cousin, and we work in the same place. We hang around each other. Eventually, it gets to the point, where he doesn't want to talk about how that dance lessons are going with her, and it's not because she's bad, because Penny would help them occasionally, and she said that Baby was getting good. She would see them staring at each other, and when she was dancing, especially on the really hot days, I'm told that Baby didn't wear a lot for clothing. Like, nylons, underwear and bra at most, cause you get hot dancing. You see him staring at her at the parties, hear rumors that he's been taking a lot of cold showers after his lessons with her, and it's not that hard to figure it out.

"Especially because this is all Johnny has for a job right now. He hasn't found an open Instructor position anywhere else. It's either this or manual labor. He doesn't risk losing this job, not for anything or anyone except Baby. He didn't watch other guests at parties, didn't stare at them in lessons, he only did that with her. Johnny is crazy about your Sister,"

"It's really a shame that he got fired," I told Billy. "Nobody should be fired because of who they love. When I found out about them, Baby explained a lot," I recalled, looking up at Billy, studying his pale green eyes. "And I realized that she loved him, even if she wasn't sure of it yet, I could tell. And from what you've told me, he loves her too."

Billy clenched his jaw in thought. "I really hope they make it, even if Johnny just got fired from here," He says. "Baby is the best thing that's happened to Johnny since he got this Job. She's exactly what he needs, and it'd really stink if it stopped over some stupid reason,"

I catch Baby and Johnny dancing together over Billy's shoulder. The pair's movements slowed, Johnny's arms around her waist, My Sister's around his neck. They looked deep into one another's eyes, and shared a long kiss. I couldn't help but smile. "What is it?"

Baby was happy. And it wasn't because of our Father's attention. I was better than petty jealousy. I had somebody here, right in front of me, so obviously interested in me, and cute. I didn't need my Father's attention to be happy. I didn't need to do things that would make him happy. I needed to do what was going to make me happy, and right now, that could very well be right in front of me.

"Nothing," I shrug, smiling at this boy who I wanted to get to know now that I was free to do so. This boy, with red hair and green eyes, who had a sweet smile and had been unable to stop staring at me when he got our luggage, even though I never gave him a second thought. "I was just thinking,"

"About what?" He asked curiously.

"That since I've been here a while and not once made time to get to know you. It's also my last night here." I began, "I think I owe you a date,"

"Lisa Houseman," Billy grinned. "I'm very happy to accept,"

* * *

 **So, this is the end of what I'm doing with Lisa. I'm pretty proud of what I've done with her over this story, because I don't think I've ever seen one story on here that attempted to give Lisa any character depth at all. She's always portrayed as a dumb, boy crazy, shallow older Sister. I actually had to have her grow over time in this, and give her reasons for why she acts the way she does other than that she just wanted to have a good time and marry a rich Doctor. This way, It works out that she dates Billy and isn't a completely horrible person.**

 **I know people who think that Billy and Penny get together, but I just can't see that happening. We barely see them interact in the movie, but when they do, they don't seem to have that kind of chemistry, whereas, at the beginning of the movie, Billy is totally checking out Lisa. She's his type, I think. Penny, I can see ending up with someone else, for reasons that will be explained in a sequel if I ever do post one. Maybe I will, maybe not, but I need to be ready before I do.**


	56. The Time Of My Life

**I do not own _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty Five

POV Baby

The Time Of My Life

* * *

Sometimes, it felt like I was underwater. My thoughts just seemed to echo throughout my head in their own silence, settling peacefully at the back of my mind. It felt like nothing was truly reaching me, I was in my own world, nearly oblivious to the voices and happenings of the people around me. They, too, seemed to almost echo, distorted as voices became if you truly were underwater. But I wasn't.

I sighed, and leaned back in my seat, watching my Sister sing onstage. Some part of me wanted to know what sort of snarky comment that Johnny would come up with if he were here now. He would be leaning casually against the wall at the back of the room, a little bit out from the rest of the staff. Johnny would've smiled that same devil-may-care grin he'd worn as he pulled me out to the dance floor for the first time in the dingy storage room, snaked his arms around my waist and stolen a kiss before I could say a word about how I'd managed to sneak away from my Parents.

But Johnny wasn't here, and the other part of me wanted to bury those memories until I was in a place where I could deal with them, because right now, it hurt too damn much to think about it. I was not about to start crying in the middle of that stupid Kellerman's Anthem. I may have lost my good reputation, my Father's trust, and Johnny, but there was no way in hell I was going to start crying in public.

But out of the corner of my eye, I see a man dressed in black standing by us, towering over my Father, a familiar leather Jacket on his shoulders, and I immediately straightened in my seat. Johnny. _Great,_ A sarcastic part of my head laughs, _Now you're hallucinating him,_ "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," Johnny said in that deep voice he had, which just proved that he couldn't be real. That line was so, _so_ Johnny that it _smelled_ like sarcasm, and the voice was too perfect to be real. Because he couldn't be real. Johnny couldn't be here.

But then why were my Parents looking at him like they could see him, too?

"Come on," Johnny says, offering me a hand. And some solitary impulse makes me take his hand, and stand up, following him into the aisle, hearing faint protests from my Father behind us. I held his hand tightly, wanting to hug him as hard as I could. He was real. He was here. But why?

"What are you doing?" I asked him under my breath as we approached the stage up front. Oh, God, we weren't going onstage, were we?

Johnny turned his head, smiling gently at me in a way that said we were going onstage, and I felt fear all of a sudden coiling in my stomach. "Fighting," Johnny answered, squeezing my hand encouragingly. It didn't help, but for his sake I at least try to remain calm as we walked up the steps to the stage, catching the sight of every parson in the theater, including Mr. Kellerman's. I eyed the floor, unwilling to meet anybody's gaze.

One by one, the people on the stage stop singing, leaving Johnny and I standing dead center of the stage, everyone's attention on us. I felt like fainting. Was now a good time to faint? It would get me off the stage, that was for certain. Besides, I'd done my turn on the stage, and without throwing up my guts, at that.

"Sorry about the disruption, folks. But I always do the last dance of the season," Johnny explained. "And this year, somebody told me not to." Using the word 'told' Was not exactly the truth, though it wasn't as if anyone except Penny, Johnny, my family, and Mr. Kellerman's would know that. But then, it was better than saying he'd been fired for sleeping with me. "So I'm gonna do my kind of dancing, with a great partner," My Dance Instructor said, "Who's not only a terrific Dancer, but somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them."

"Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be." Johnny stated resolutely. He looked at me, and I felt my heart warm under the bubbling nervousness of being onstage. Johnny squeezed my hand, and looked back at the crowd. "Miss France's Houseman."

When the lights go out, everybody else hurries off the stage, even Johnny. I'm left standing there alone, and as always, not quite sure what to do with myself. Johnny passed his leather jacket to Billy, along with a 45 I can't read the title of. I just see Billy put it on the phonograph and set the tone arm onto the vinyl disc, and barely a second later the music starts.

Out of the darkness, Johnny walks towards me, beckoning coyly, and I can feel my heart in my throat. He stops in front on me, hands on my waist. I set my hands on his shoulders, and Johnny reached up to take my right hand in his. And I relax, because the look he gives me in that second makes me feel that everything will be alright, so when I come up from the dip he pushes me into, all I can do is smile at the Dancer that stole my heart, all my nerves melted away.

Johnny stepped behind me and guided me arm up behind his head. His hand fell down my side, just barely brushing the side of my beast. I look up at Johnny, and I still see assurance in his blue eyes, down to the second Johnny kisses my nose, and his hands cup mine at my hips, and he spins me away from him.

I caught his hand, and we entered in unison back into the basic. Johnny lifted an arm for an underarm turn, and then an open break, me spinning into a side basic on the last step. I twirled to the right, coming to stop with my arm around Johnny's shoulder, the other extended for styling as we did a fast count akin to what we had danced on the log not so very long ago.

We pivot into the basic, I kick, and then do a basic, and then kick again. Another basic, and I find Johnny and I side stepping right across the stage, doing a Cross Body Lead that I barely had to think about now. Joining hands, palm to palm, we swivel right, left, right, into a Pivot Turn. I cross my left foot behind me on our first step to the left, like Johnny had told me to do. Another step to the side, I bring my foot to meet the other and I immediately turn, Johnny a second behind me on his turn. I felt Johnny pressing forward from my back on what normally would be a Cross Body Lead, but is now a Half Moon, followed by a spin that nearly leaves me too dizzy to stand.

I step to the side, arms high over my head, more comfortable doing this now than I ever could have been at the Sheldrake. Johnny pushed me left on the next steps, bringing me around him for an Open Break, the perfect way to enter into a walk around turn, Johnny spinning me so fast I most sight of anything and everything but his eyes, a trick he had taught me for keeping from getting dizzy. I rock back to come out of the spin and enter into a different sort of swivel at breakneck speed. It felt like we were flying through the steps, Underarm Turn, Open Break, Spot Turn, Cross Body, an angled forward basic with the left, then the right, testing the strength of my frame.

We enter a different walk around, no frame, just orbiting around one another, the center of each other's universes. I am certain that Johnny came up with that step himself, and it is one of my favorites. There is an Open Break, and he pulls me to him so fast I almost have no time to recover from that last turn. Just felt his chest heave against mine, and instead of kissing me, which I could sense he wanted as much as I did, he threw me out, and then yanked me back in, a step that was completely improvised on the spot, because we had _not_ done that at the Sheldrake. I loved it anyway.

Johnny brings me around to the right into Swivels and New Yorkers with a turn to get out of that and into what was once walks, but us now Johnny grinning wickedly at me as he pushed his hips into mine, dancing like we had when we'd first met at that staff party. He skipped over a few steps and went right into a walk around, lifting me into a graceful twirl that left people cheering, but that wasn't the last of it.

My feet hit the stage, and Johnny spun me around to his left side, and within seconds, kissed my hand and jumped off the stage. In that second, I could only laugh as I remembered my words to Johnny in his car on the way to the lake. _"You're **wild**!" I howl, throwing my head back in laughter, Johnny laughing with me._

He was. And what happened next was what I could only describe as Johnny completely flaunting his best moves for the purpose of winning the crowd over. It was like the line dancing I'd seen him and Penny briefly do in the storage room, but it was so much better than that, similar, but different, and not in a bad way. I couldn't help but laugh a little at watching Johnny's charm the other guests with nothing more than flashy dance steps. But then, it hadn't taken a whole lot more than that for me to be completely ensnared.

This continued all the way to the back of the room, and beyond, when Johnny turned around and started to dance back up the aisle, other staff gathered around and behind him like a small army, with a Dance Instructor leading the charge to the stage. Everybody else kept on dancing, even once Johnny stopped, and gave me a look that said many things. It said to do the lift, to trust him. It said that I was ready to do it. I saw utter adornment in his eyes, and even a hungry look that said _Get over here already,_ Which I'd only ever seen when we were messing around in the practice room a few days ago.

I nodded without hesitation, unable to keep a euphoric grin off my face. Two men from the staff helped me down from the stage, and I sprint right for Johnny. _You'll hurt me if you don't trust me,_ Echoes through my brain, time seeming to move too fast and too slow all at once. _Did I trust him?_ Yes. I trusted Johnny more than anything, more than anyone else I'd met at that second. It would have to be enough. Please, God, let it be enough.

And it must be, because, I feel Johnny's hands grab onto my hips, and raise me up over everything else in the room, resting precariously on his hands, in just the perfect position so that I do not fall. If I was happy before... then this... this must be rapture. There was no other word to describe the pure, unadulterated joy that I felt in that second. It was like what I'd felt after the Sheldrake... I never ever wanted that feeling to end, and it didn't, not even as Johnny brought me back down to the aisle, embracing me with all his might. I laid a kiss on his cheek, the pair of us nearly oblivious to what was happening around us.

Johnny and I kept to our spot in what was now becoming a dance floor with hundreds of people dancing right along with us. I didn't care then that I would be leaving in the morning... I just knew that I wanted to spend every possible second I could cherishing my precious time left with Johnny. "You wanna get out of here?" Johnny asked, wearing a smirk that was she nearly too suggestive for its own good. I beamed at the Dancer, and gave a nod, eager to leave with him. "Let's go," Johnny said, giving a nod in the direction of the door, taking my hand and leading the way out.

Johnny turned abruptly when somebody caught him on the armed, and I can't help but be a little bit shocked to find that it is my Father. "I know you weren't the one who got Penny in trouble," My Father stated, his expression nearly unreadable, even for me.

Johnny answered, "Yeah," In a voice that was almost a challenge, daring my Father to call him unworthy of me now, to his face.

"When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong," Is all my Dad says in an explanation. I don't expect any more of an apology from him. After all, a Father could only be so forgiving to the person who was the reason his Daughter publicly admitted to having sex with someone as their only alibi. But for now, it was a start, and that was all I could hope for.

My Father looked at me, his eyes gone gentle. "You looked wonderful out there," He admitted, a praise which meant more to me than any other complement he'd given me before. I hugged him before anyone could say anything else and ruin the moment. Eventually, we break, and my Father stepped informing us with a sigh that he had to go and talk to Max about something.

"Do you want to finish the song?" I inquired to Johnny. You were supposed to dance till the last note of the song rang out, not leave half way through, which was something I knew without Johnny's instruction. "I mean, it is _your_ record," I excused, looking for just a few minutes more of dancing with him. "We've got until morning,"

Johnny gave me a strange look, and I could sense he was deep in thought, but before I could retract my suggestion, he smiled and answered, "Yeah. Let's finish the song. But then, I expect just to go back to that cabin I left, because I have a few things I want to do that shouldn't be done in front of this many people," Johnny added suggestively.

I smiled, leaning closer to him, "I look forward to it already," I eagerly purred. Johnny took us back out to the center of the floor, and, in unison, we began to dance, swaying slowly in every direction. It feels like the moment will go on forever, but I inevitably hear what must be the final few notes coming, and Johnny and I slowly stop swaying, simply standing, arms around one another, in the middle of the crowd, our actions entirely unnoticed by the others. Looking down at me with what I think must be love, Johnny mouthed along to the words, like he had when we first danced, and when we were joking around in the practice room.

 _"Now I've had the time of my life,_

 _No, I've never felt this way before._

 _Yes I swear, it's the truth._

 _And I owe it all to you,"_

I cannot help but laugh at the antics of this man, who I am so in love with. I didn't ever want him out of my life, I thought. I wanted me and him against the world, forever. We were young, and we had almost everything against us... but this felt too right to be just young love, just a Summer fling. On that dance floor, I'd not been as sure of anything as I was of Johnny and I staying together. Johnny leaned down, and I stand on my tiptoe, and tip my head up, and we kiss in public for the first time, finally free.

Johnny looks really happy when the kiss breaks, and that is enough to put any doubts I had left about us to rest. Johnny grasped my shoulders, and lifted me over him, holding me.

Blue eyes.

My feet land on the floor, and for the last few seconds of the song, Johnny and I keep dancing, arms around one another, almost too slow to match the song. It works, regardless, if only because of the passion we have for not just each other, but the dancing as well. Maybe we don't have much time left together. But for the first time in what feels like forever, I'm too relaxed to care.

* * *

 **So, I'm not dead, though I'm certain some of you want me to be after this long. Been kind of short on time lately, an this was a chapter that I actually had to write. See, this is what I mean. If I were to post a sequel before I was certain I was ready to and I was far enough into it that I couldn't abandon it, it would just end up abandoned, and I won't do that to my readers. It's not about how many would read it, it's about my about my ability to finish what I start. I'll post it when I'm damn good and ready, not a second before, and you'll all have to live with that.**


	57. Unchained Melody

**I do not own** ** _Dirty Dancing._**

Chapter Fifty Six

POV Baby

Unchained Melody

* * *

By the corner of my eye, I see Johnny and my Father coming back around to the doors that lead out of the play House. I hadn't ever truly felt a need to eavesdrop, but right now, I was tempted, desperate to know what my Father was saying to Johnny. After all, this was the conversation that would effect my life the most in the here and now- if he would give Johnny and me chance.

I didn't know what to think. My Father knew now that Johnny hadn't been the one who got Penny pregnant. But he was also almost as stubborn as I was, which didn't bode well if Johnny and I wanted to stay together. "What did he say to you?" I questioned anxiously on Johnny's return to my side, twisting my finger in nervousness.

Johnny's answer is concise, to the point, "He asked me if I'd thought about the future, and then told me that he'd gotten Max to give me my job back," And I honestly don't know how much of that I really heard. All I was really aware of was this- Johnny had his job back. My Father helped him get it back. And it just seemed too good to be true.

"He _what?"_ I questioned in disbelief. My Father still wasn't all that fond of Johnny, I thought, even though he knew now that Johnny hadn't been the one to get Penny into that mess. But maybe I'd underestimated his level of acceptance to my boyfriend. It doesn't matter, though. It will be okay now. He has his job back. My Father is giving us a chance.

"I don't have to go, Baby," Johnny told me in a low voice, smiling In a way I've never seem before. "I can stay here," He really looked happy then. Happier than I'd ever seen Johnny since we'd met, though that wasn't all that long ago. I was certain that smile meant something, and I had a feeling about what it might be that Johnny had to say to me, but I wouldn't press now, I considered during our embrace and then kiss. He would tell me in his own time.

"Johnny, that's wonderful," I managed to breathe out in relief once we'd managed to pry ourselves far enough away from one another to be able to say anything. "I'm so glad you don't have to go!" I exclaimed in abandon.

"I am too, Baby," Johnny told me quietly, those mesmerizing blue eyes of his twinkling down at me, dragging me further into their depths.

Not a second more has passed before I decide that I was done hanging around here for no apparent reason. Not when this was our last night here and there was an empty bed with our name on it just outside. Not when there was so much dancing and happiness going on that there wasn't a soul who would notice a couple of kids sneaking out to do a whole lot more than dancing.

"You're a bit eager," Johnny chuckled, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb as I nearly dragged him down the hall that led to the doors.

I looked back at him with a wild grin on my face. "We leave tommorrow morning. I want tonight to count," I answered, not bothering to stop moving for a second. I could only hope we didn't get interrupted again. I doubted it would stop us right now, anyway. We could barely keep our hands off each other when we weren't running out of time.

"Well, in that case, I'm on board," Johnny laughter as we made our way out to his car, which had been somewhat haphazardly parked near the front of the main house. In his true gentleman nature, Johnny offered a kind smile and opened the passenger side door for me. "Your chariot awaits,"

I gave a coy grin, only half annoyed at him. "And how shall I express my gratitude?"

Johnny moved a bit closer, arms around me, and answered in a quiet voice, "A kiss will do." A smile curling onto my face, to stood on tiptoe, arms around his neck, and kissed him.

* * *

Johnny's cabin was pretty unrecognizable from what It had been the last time I'd been in here. No clothes hung from beams in the rafters as a makeshift closet. No miscellaneous records sat crammed into every available surface. Even the poster of the Matador that had hung on his wall was gone, all stuffed into his car. Only the furniture had been left behind. And all we brought back were the phonograph and some records. That was all we really needed right now, except maybe the bed.

Johnny bent low over the floor setting up the record player, me behind him. I felt a little awkward in such an empty room, even now. I still wasn't quite used to this odd anxiousness that always seemed to come before Johnny and I did anything, and I didn't know if I ever would be. No matter my nervousness, I needed to talk to him before anything happened. "Johnny?" I cautiously questioned.

"Yeah?" He responded, looking over his shoulder at me, eyes bluer than ever in this light. I felt my breath catch just a little, and press forward.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Baby. You can ask me anything you want," Johnny assured me with a faint smile. I felt myself relax a little bit when the music started, _Unchained Melody_. Johnny turned around and stood up to his full height, towering nearly a head above me. I swallowed, fingers tracing up Johnny's arms, a shifter falling down my spine at his hands on my waist.

As best I can, I push my nerves away. I didn't need them right now. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" He asked, looking confused, and I supposed I couldn't blame him. That was a pretty vague question, after all.

So I clarify, "The night we met- You danced with me. Why?" I know the answer- at least I think I know what I want it to be. I know I need to hear something before I go that makes me really believe that this wouldn't be just a Summer fling. As much as I wanted to just simply trust that Johnny wouldn't just let this go so easy, I needed more than that. And the longer I stood here waiting for an answer, the less sure I became.

But finally, he managed to say something- "I'm not sure I had a reason," Johnny says. "I could tell that you didn't know how to dance. And I wanted to show you how. But that didn't make it a good idea to actually do it. Maybe I thought it would be interesting. Maybe I thought that if you came out of this with one experience of really living, you wouldn't be like the rest of them. I don't know why, Baby. Something told me to dance with you that night, and I did. I'm glad it happened."

It isn't all I wanted to hear, and it shouldn't surprise me that it's not, so I push further into the subject, "Things could've been very different if it hadn't,"

Johnny's eyebrows furrowed in thought, but his eyes themselves didn't leave my face once. "I don't know about that," He began quietly, and it almost makes me want to groan the way I feel myself hanging onto his every word. "You would've still found Penny the next night, and came to find Billy. You would've tried to help her." Johnny attempted to convince me, "I just wouldn't have known you at first. That doesn't mean that I would've never fallen in love with you."

I know that this isn't new, that Johnny couldn't have just decided that was what he felt without a lot of thought, and I know I feel the same way. I know I steered him into this conversation, and I have wondered more times than I care to admit if he felt that way, but it still manages to shock me on some level when I finally heard those words, some small part of me that still didn't quite believe he wanted me, maybe never would. "You love me?" I echoed.

And Johnny leaned a little bit closer, eyes still. "I love you, Frances Houseman."

I felt my heart pounding in my chest and my hands on his shoulders, shaking a little bit. But then there was a smile on my face, tentative and unsure, but there, and then...

"I love you, too."

So Johnny kissed me.

I remembered what happened that night like yesterday, in it's entirety, every feeling and kiss and touch, but I don't think I could put together the right words to describe everything it was, even with my college girl brain, Johnny would tease me in years to come. I just know we danced, and kissed, and made love. I know we undressed each other, and those precious words were said so many more times that night that I should have lost count, but I didn't, since I never tried of saying or hearing them.

Sometimes I doubt if I ever loved him more than I did then, but then I still see him smiling the devil-may-care grin he wore when he dragged me out on the dance floor that first time, and maybe he would impromptu push me into a dip or steal a kiss before I even realized what was happening and I think that I've never been more wrong. But then, I'm biased.

"When did you know you love me?" Johnny asked me once things had calmed down, the record long run out and both of us too tired to leave the bed.

I answer in so many words, "I was certain when I found out that Vivian accused you of the thefts. I realized I loved you when I found out how far I was willing to go to protect you. When I felt the pain of living without you for those few off hours, knowing I'd never told you. This morning, I was almost certain, but I was too afraid to say so. I whispered it as I walked away." I recalled. It was not one moment of realization that led to this feeling, it was cumulative, and so more than one moment. "When did you know?" I ask in turn.

"I suspected ever since that day in the rain," He answered. "You remember our first fight?" I gave a nod, still watching him. "The night before I was accused, I told you that the night previous I'd dreamt about your Father. There was something I didn't mention. In the dream, I told you I loved you. I was certain when I realized just how badly I wanted your Father to accept us. That was never something I'd wanted before. I even told Penny, when I ran off to her. Last night, after you fell asleep, I said that I loved you. I was scared to say it when you could hear me. Until now,"

"What do we do in the morning?" I said after a heavy sigh, resting my head on Johnny's chest. "I have to leave, and go to college, and you have to stay here. I wish I could stay with you. I want to. But if letters and phone calls are all that's possible, I'll take what I can get."

Johnny adjusted his head to look at me, probably for better eye contact, or something. This felt like a conversation seroogy's enough for eye contact. "It's like you said, letters and phone calls. I want to stay in contact, Baby. I'd die before I gave up on what we have," Johnny told me, and the cliche-ness of the line makes me wants to roll my eyes, or it would if I believed for a second that he didn't mean it. "I don't want you to go. But you have to. No matter what, don't hold yourself back for me. I'm not worth it."

"You are to me," I smiled, some playfulness filling my voice again. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.

Johnny smiled back, and gave me a short kiss. And once he pulled away, he said, "When the morning comes, we'll do what we can. We'll fight for our love. If we have to go out, we'll go out with a bang. I am never going to stop loving you, Frances Houseman," He promised, and I let myself beleive him this time. "Don't ever forget that. This is not the end, I promise you. I refuse to let what we have end here. We're going to figure it out. And we're going to do it together,"

It is a nice thought. So nice that when I finally do nod of in his arms, I'm not wondering about tomorrow anymore. It bothers me no more.

* * *

 **Last chapter, right before the new year. Or, it hit, right as I'm typing this, more like. It's finally done. You guys stuck with me till the end, you wanted as much of the story as I put out, you reviewed, and followed and favorited, and read and re-read, even when I wouldn't update for good knows how long. Thank you. It means the world to me that you people would actually sit around and put up with all my bullshit just for a few thousand words of whatever cliche romantic filth I've churned out, and had the guys to call it good. And maybe you'll hear from me again, maybe not. But I'm so glad to have the chance to do this in the first place.**

 **Happy new year! Happy 2019!**

 **The Lovely Ballroom Geek**


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